There's A Curse Between Us
by TheClassicCrime1
Summary: After the Finale Battle Hermione Granger is left alone to pick up the pieces of her scattered, broken life.Her worst enemy appears at Hogwarts from the past, will Hermione kill him or fall for him? Songfic based on What Have You Done by Within Temptation
1. One

**hey guys! so i was listening to my ipod today and it gave me an idea for a songfic. i put this chapter together in about an hour as a test run for the possible story it might become. tell me what you think so i know if i should dump it or not! hp and song belong to their rightful owners! **

_Would you mind if I hurt you?_

_Understand that I need to_

I had no reason to be here. Everything about this place repulsed me to a point that made me almost physically ill. Hogwarts was once my home but now it seemed more like a prison with it's large, cold stone walls caging me in, cutting off all hope for escape. I felt suffocated in this place like it was slowly choking what little life I had left out of my body. I lost everything in the Final Battle for Hogwarts. My friends and their families, my parents, and even my enemies. All dead, all gone. Leaving me by myself to rot in this hell hole that was little more than the broken remains of a once great, powerful school.

These rooms held too many memories, painful or otherwise. Either way it hurt like hell to stand here. I wanted to yell, I wanted to fight this but nothing would come out of my dry, cracked throat. I hadn't spoken a single word since the Final Battle. I had no reason to. I died that day. Maybe not physically but mentally. I was just an empty shell of the pathetic book worm I used to be. Every fiber of my being has changed since then. I have lost all sympathy for those who suffer. They don't know what it means to suffer. They cry for losing one friend, maybe two. Try loosing everyone you have ever cared about in the matter of four hours. I knew my bitterness was abnormal for me but I could not control it. It was the only way to keep the heart crushing, chest collapsing pain at bay.

The Great Hall was different than I remembered it being. It was more like a graveyard than a place for celebration. So many lives were lost here, so much anger and pain was shown here. It was almost a punishment for anyone to set a single toe in the room. A little girl (I assume she is a first year) passed me, she was shaking with such intensity that I was sure she had a disorder. But I soon realized that it was due the eeriness of this school rather than a mentally condition. She looked around the room, what she was searching for I wasn't sure. The small blond did a one-eighty until she was looking at me. Her eyes widened as she glanced me over. She made her way back over to me with slow, uncertain steps. Words stammered out of her mouth, trying to make the sentence she wanted to say.

"Are you Hermione Granger?" She asked in a quiet voice. I nodded my head to her, detached from the little girl, detached from everyone. "So you were here that day?" I knew what day she meant and simply nodded my head again, wishing she would leave so I could be alone. She kept eye contact with me the whole time she had been standing there. It was unusual for one so small to be so brave. Not many could look at me since the battle, it wasn't out of anger though. They couldn't even bring themselves look at me. I was one of the few who survived that day and a walking reminder of what happened.

She copied my movement and nodded "I'm sorry." was all she said before walking away. My eyes followed the small child as she went to stand with others her own age. Her words hit a nerve that I hadn't felt in a while. I wasn't quite sure I recognized it but something felt slightly different to me. Before I had time to question it further the feeling was gone and I returned to my 'new normal'. I felt a hand come in contact with my shoulder. I was sure it was meant as a comforting gesture but it caused me to jump several feet anyway. I turned and saw Professor McGonigal standing there with pursed lips and sad eyes. "Welcome back, Hermione. We are happy you could come." She said the words in a motherly, tender tone. I knew she meant well but still I could only bring myself to nod. McGonigal let out a defeated sigh. "Yes, Lupin has told me you have not spoken since the battle. Hopefully we can get past that this year." I didn't do anything in response. The older lady took a step toward me. "Ron and Harry wouldn't want you to be like this, Hermione. You need to live life to the fullest. If not for yourself at least for them." I was taken aback by her words. I spun on my heels and headed away from the Headmistress.

I had not heard those names in over six months and I was pretty sure I was about to lose it by the sound of them heard out loud. Lupin (who now happened to be my guardian and the last living senior member of the Order of the Phoenix) has gotten used to referring to them as 'they' over the last half year. I hated to admit it but I had not gotten over the fact that they are gone. I mean, I know they're dead but that didn't stop me from expecting them to walk through the door and ask me to help them with their Transfiguration essays. Something inside me hadn't given up on them, and I was clinging to that part of me for dear life.

I found a spot at the Gryffindor table where I could sit alone, away from the prying eyes of my fellow classmates. Most of them were 3rd years or younger. Scattered every few feet you could see an upperclassman or two. Most had not made it through the battle while others just couldn't bring themselves to return to the scene of such tragedy. I was here because Lupin threatened me. Either I returned to school or l moved out of headquarters. Since I had nowhere else to go with no money to get there, I'd be stuck here for my final year.

McGonigal walked up the podium and began her opening speech. I didn't really pay attention or eat my food when she was done. Since the Final Battle I had dropped to a measly weight of 90 pounds. I slammed my fork on the table, done with the stupid thing and just gazed around the room. I looked down at my watch, hoping it was late enough for me to leave and find sanctuary in my Head Girl's dorm. It is 7:45. I'd spent an hour and forty-five minutes here, it was a good enough amount of time. I stood up and started out of the Great Hall. I moved through the halls I had traveled so many times before, taking in the familiar sights. I had two more turns and a staircase to go until I would be in my secret sanctum. There was no head boy this year. No one was qualified enough for the job so I took the responsibilities of both Head's on myself. There was a strange noise that echoed from around the opposite direction that I was headed. It sounded like a mixture of a cough and a gasp.

I took a step hoping that I could just forget about the sound and continue on my way. But the noise returned and caused my stomach to clench. Whatever was happening to that person (or thing. It sounded slightly like a dying animal.) it was painful. I let out a sharp, deep breath and against my better judgment started running toward the noise, not knowing what awaited me when I got there. My feet made a hard pounding sound as they slapped against the marble floor. I looked down every turn to see if whatever was making that sound was there, so far nothing. I stopped to catch my breath and listen for the sound again. A few seconds later I heard it coming from the next corridor down. I ran toward it and skidded to a stop when I reached the hall. A figure about the size of a seventh year boy was huddled on the ground in pain. I ran to him in a flash. He had his arms covering his head so I couldn't see his face.

I turned him over to see if I could identify him or at least his injuries. I gently grabbed his shoulders to steady his body as it shook with the violence of his gasps and coughs. I didn't recognize him as anyone I have ever seen at Hogwarts before, I knew most everyone here. He slowly stopped coughing and caught his breath. He inhaled deeply before attempting to sit up. I tried to help him but he jerked away from my touch. I placed my hand up and away from him, showing that I would keep away. He ran his hands through his thick, black hair before looking up at me. He had a very handsome face, kind of like an old movie star. But his features were hard and distant, just like mine had become over the past months. He stared at me with cold, dark (almost black) eyes. "Thank you." He said in a less than sincere voice. Everything about this boy was unwelcoming.

He stood up, I did the same. The boy brushed off his robes before once again returning his gaze to me. He sized me up before extending his hand to me. "My name is Tom Riddle." I heard myself gasp out of shock and fear. Now I saw the resemblance, how I could forget the eyes that had haunted my nightmares for years I would never know. But there they were, staring at me. My fear was replaced with utter rage and anger. I jumped at the boy, putting everything I had in me into punching him, any part of him, so he could feel even a sliver of the pain he had caused me. He did not defend himself right away due to the shock of a small, weak girl attacking him. Once he got his bearings he grabbed my arms, restraining me from causing further damage (it was then that I noticed I had managed to split his lip). His touch felt like it burned me, every inch of me hated this man with such intense fury that I would have killed him then and there if I would have had the chance.

"Tom Riddle." I scowled, saying the first words I had spoken in almost 6 months. My voice was hoarse and scratchy but it held so much contempt in it that the boy raised his eyes brows at me, surprised by my actions and words. I tried to fight my way out of his grasp but it was no use. He was too strong and due to my lack of eating, I was too weak to wretch my arms from his hold on me. I felt the world around me go dark as I stared into the eyes of the one man I hated most. I collapsed and let the comforting darkness engulf me.


	2. Two

**i dont own harry potter! **

_Wish that I had other choices _

_Than to harm the one I love _

_What have you done now?_

_What the bloody hell!?_ I felt as if my chest exploded when I hit the floor. I couldn't move for a minute due to the pain of it all. I coughed in an attempt to get oxygen to my lungs but it didn't seem to be helping. I gasped for air as I laid there on the floor. I was sleeping in my bed and the next thing I know I was... I had no idea where I was. I could hear someone coming toward me, running from the sound of the footsteps. She touched me, trying to see if I was alright. I flinched at the feeling of contact with another person. No one touched me. Ever. I continued to gasp for air as she checked me over. Finally my oxygen deprived lungs took in a deep breath and allowed me to think clearly once more.

I sat up and collected myself before decided to look at the girl. She was thin, incredibly so with soft brown curls that framed her face. She had chocolate brown eyes, one of which had a fleck of green in it. She was... decent. Nothing compared to some girls I have seen in my life but... just decent. She looked at me with concern in her eyes. She was probably worried about the episode I had just had. I looked around me and found myself in a corridor of Hogwarts. I must have sleep walked? How I came to be in this corridor, I did not know but I had to leave. Hopefully this silly girl would not follow me like a lost pup. I did not need such stupidity as that. I stood up and wiped the dirt from my robes. She stood up also and only came up to my shoulders. She seemed frail like she was living, but just barely. Weakness like that disgusted me.

I supposed that I should probably thank her for making sure I was alright. I reluctantly did so. She did not answer, just nodded her head slightly. I sighed and extended my hand to the pathetic girl. "Tom Riddle." I saw that my name sent chills down her spine. Good. That's the way it should be. I am to be feared. The fear in her eyes soon turned to anger. She ran at me and tried to tackle me to the ground using only her brute force (which I must say was close to none). She began to punch me fiercely, one of her swings made contact with my mouth causing it to split. I grabbed hold of her wiggling form and restrained her. I could feel the blood seeping down my lip from where the cut was. For such a small, weak girl she threw an average enough punch. She glared at me with half-crazed eyes. She wanted to hurt me, maybe even kill me. I had done nothing to her, yet she still despises me.

I have never met a teacher nor girl who has ever exuded such fury at the sight of me or the sound of my name. My charm worked on them without a hitch. It was so easy to fool teenage girls. All they care about is boys and gossip. Their brains were so full of saw dust that I could have told them that lipstick was raining from the sky and they would believe me and see if it was their shade. It was really almost to easy.

But this girl was different, there was no doubt in my mind about it. She knew something about me that no one was supposed to know except for my followers. "Tom Riddle." He voice was so laced with contempt that I raised my eye brow in surprise, when I caught myself doing this I quickly dropped it, not wanting to show any emotions to this little person. Her eyes began to flutter closed before she collapsed against me. In a hurry to get her off of me, I laid her down on the ground were she stayed unmoved. She fainted, like the weak female she was. I searched up and down the hallway, looking for someone to pawn her off on so I could be left in peace. No one was around. My gaze drifted down to the brown haired girl. She wore Gryffindor robes, yet another reason why I didn't want to help her.

I could just leave her there but how would that look when she wakes up and tells an adult that I was in the hall with her when she fainted? To keep up pretenses I had to deliver her to the Hospital Wing. The thought made me wince in disgust. I eventually picked up the girl and cradled her in my arms, making sure I wouldn't drop her. The girl was light, she couldn't weigh more than one hundred pounds, at least she wouldn't be a huge burden on the way there. I began to walk in the direction of the Hospital Wing. The castle looked different. Items were missing with others in their places. These are not the halls I had just patrolled an hour earlier. The girl moved slightly causing me to stop midstep. She let out a small sigh but made no other movements. I fell back into step quickly, not wanting to be around her when she woke up. For a small girl, she had some fight in her an admirable quality for people to have. Not that she was one to be admired.

The Hospital Wing came into view which made me only move faster, I wanted to wash my hands of the girl. I pushed open the door with my back. I turned around to see a room that was so unlike the one I have seen before. A woman rushed up to me with a frightened look on her wrinkled old face. "What happened?" She demanded to know.

"Nothing. She just fainted, is all." I stated. The woman still hadn't look me in the eye. Her full attention was placed on the girl that laid in my arms.

"Yes, well bring her over to this bed, will you?" She waved her hand frantically at a bed close to the windows. I put the girl down on the bed and stepped back. The nurse came in close to her and began an examination. I slowly backed away and inched closer to the door. I turned to walk out when I heard the old woman call after me.

"Young man." I sighed at my failure to escape, that blasted woman better have a good reason to keep me here. I turned around to see her looking at me with wide eyes. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't" I replied gingerly. I had no time for her moronic questions.

"Well, what is it then?" Her eyes held a certain degree of uncertainty and fear.

I put on a handsome smile for her. "My name is Tom Riddle." I tried to say it as calmly and nicely as possible but it didn't work. The woman grabbed her chest where her heart resided and sat on the bed behind her. To my surprise the old hag whipped out her wand before I could react. She aimed it at my chest with her hand shaking.

"Don't move. Don't you dare move one bit." She attempted to say in a fearless tone. It didn't work very well. She mumbled a spell to herself and a patronous shaped like a butterfly came out of the tip of her wand. Two minutes later a group of teachers stormed into the Wing each one of them with their wands pointed at me. An old woman in a pointed black hat stood in front of them, acting as their leader. She was tall, thin, and looked strangely familiar. I think I knew her once... then the woman's identity hit me with full force. It couldn't be, could it?

"Professor McGonigal?" I questioned, rather confused. She did not look that old in class today, something has happened. Something bizarre.

"Hello Tom. Nice to see you again."

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I woke up to find myself in the Hospital Wing. How I got here or why I was here I had no clue. My vision was slightly fuzzy and my throat dry. I saw a glass of water on the bedside table. I picked it up and took a giant sip.

"Miss. Granger? How are you feeling?" Madame Pumfrey inquired. I nodded my head to indicate that I was fine. She nodded hers in response. "From what I hear you fainted on the way to your dorm."

Ah, that explained the strange dream I had... passed out (not fainted, fainting sounds so much worse than passing out) which probably led to my impaired dream, trauma to the head or something like that. I sat up in the bed and rub my forehead.

"Does anything hurt, dear?" I shook my head no. "Very well. You are free to go to the Headmistress's office." My eyes jumped up to look at her. I tilted my head to the side out of confusion. Why on the bloody earth did I have to go see McGonigal? The nurse looked at me, waiting for me to say something. When I didn't she simply said "It is concerning the boy who brought you in here." My heart sunk twenty-thousand feet into the ground. It wasn't a dream.

I had truly encountered Tom Riddle. I punched Lord Voldemort.

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They dragged me into the Headmaster's office, usually inhabited by Headmaster Dippet but now taken over by McGonigal. The teachers (who I didn't recognize) shoved me down into a chair with their filthy hands. How dare they touch me? If they had any idea who I was...

"Voldemort." McGonigal spat at me, as if it was an insult. My eyes widened and I felt myself tense slightly, but only slightly. Weakness is the greatest weakness a person can have and I am above all of that.

"How do you know that-" The wrinkled woman cut me off. If they had not taken my wand I would have wiped that superior look right off her face.

"You are in the future Mr. Riddle. I don't know how, I don't know why, all I know is we must figure out what to do with you. " She tapped her nails on the desk. I could feel my blood boiling beneath my skin, I wanted nothing more than to hurt all the people in this room.

The door opened with a small creak and the small girl I had encountered earlier walked in, once again fuming at the sight of me. Her eyes were only for me which made me even more furious. She had no right to look at me like that. No one did.

"Miss. Granger come in, won't you." The girl complied and sat in the chair next to mine. I felt sick to my stomach at her close proximity. She sat with her back straight, not leaning against the back of the chair at all. Her uneasiness made me smile. One of the men holding me jerked me by the shoulder, silently telling me to stop. I looked at him, the man was even more pathetic than the girl. He looked old and frail, pale and run-down. He watched me watch her with his protective eyes glaring daggers at me. I felt my anger get the best of me and my eyes narrow into thin slights.

"You realize who this is Miss. Granger?" McGonigal asked the curly haired girl, who's name I now knew to be Granger (like it mattered anyway?). The girl gave one stern nod. McGonigal reached over the desk and placed a hand over the girls. She gave it a sickeningly motherly squeeze before returning to address the adults once more. She motioned for them to huddle around her desk so they could speak in so what private quarters.

This gave me time to think. How had I gotten here? Why was I here? How do they know me by that name? Only my followers call me that and never in public. I can not be in the future and by the looks of McGonigal fifty years into the future. It was impossible, improbable. I looked to the girl once more. She sat there with her back straight and stiff and her hands folded in her lap. Like the perfect little know-it-all I was sure she was. She caught me staring at her and I could feel the intensity of her gaze. She hated me beyond the realm of hate, it was more along the lines loathing but even worse still. She attempted to stare me down but it didn't work. I did not back down for anyone, especially silly little girls. The teachers unhuddled themselves and stared in my direction. I glared at each of them in turn.

"Well Tom. It looks like you will be staying here, at Hogwarts until we know how you came to be in this time." McGonigal informed me. The Granger girl stood up out of her chair and slammed her hands on the Headmistress's desk. She was... was it outraged? "I know Miss. Granger but what can we do? He is not Voldemort yet. We cannot punish him for crimes he has not committed yet" The girl pinched the bridge of her nose and began to pace in front of the large desk. "He will also be staying with you in the Head's Dorms Miss. Granger." The girl stopped pacing and whipped around she fast that she hit her face with her own hair. Her face was tomato red with anger.

"He is after all is the Head Boy back in his time and to be quite honest you are the only person I trust to keep an eye on him for the duration of his stay with us. His wand will have a 'child lock' on it of sorts so he will not be able to perform any spells that could endanger the other students or yourself. In order to keep the students calm we will change his name to ensure they do not know his true identity." She turned her attention to me. " Your alias will be Tom Redford and you are an exchange student from Durmstrang. Any funny business Ridd-Redford and I will be forced in notify the Ministry." I nodded my head and stole a glance at the girl. She still wore a look of utter fury.

"Very well. You are excused." The girl stormed out of the room and slammed the door before McGonigal could finish her sentence. What I did to make her so mad, I couldn't tell. "Tom you know your way to the Head's Dorm I assume. So you should have no problems, I will send some school things for you along with some Slytherin robes." I nodded my head, detached and uninterested in the old womans words. I walked to the door but was soon stopped by the voice of the Headmistress.

"Oh and Tom." I turned to see what the old broad wanted. She gave me the most uninviting, unwelcoming expression she could muster. "Don't test Hermione Granger. You have failed in killing her twice now and I will not stop her if this time she tries to kill you."

**ok i know that tom riddle commited murders before his seventh year but lets just forget about those for the time being. leave me feedback! it keeps me from sucking! =] thanks for reading!**


	3. Three

**hey there heres the next chapter. we are starting to get into the good stuff. i like this chapter so i hope you do too. **

_I know I'd better stop trying_

_You know that there's no denying_

_I won't show mercy on you now_

__The nerve of that woman! How could she room me with Tom Riddle aka Lord Voldemort!? I half ran to my Head dorm which would now also house the root of all that is evil in my world. I could tell he was following slowly behind me. He was probably at least twenty feet behind at all times but never out of eye sight. I could feel his gaze burn into my back, still I did not turn around. I should have killed him at that very moment, I wanted to. There was something inside me holding me back however. I wish that part would just shut it.

I said the password and rushed into my common room, slamming the door behind me. I waited to hear it slam, but no such sound was heard. I turned to see Tom Riddle- I'm sorry Tom Redford standing in the door way with his hands behind his back. He stared at me with cold, hateful eyes. I scoffed before stomping up the stairs that led to the bedrooms. Mine was on the right while the evil spawn's was on the left. I stormed into my room and slammed the large wooden door, this time my attempt was successful and I head the satisfying sound as the wood of the door hit the wood of the frame. I crashed onto my bed and throw a pillow over my head. I screamed as loud as I could into it, letting loose all my frustration and sorrow in one lung full of air. I eventually ran out of breath and stopped. I laid there with the down feather pillow still pressed against my face. I heard a laugh coming from my door way, it was on evil laugh that made a person feel like all hope was lost. I shot up from the bed and saw Riddle standing there. He had an amused look playing across his features.

I stood up and crossed my arms. "What the bloody hell are you doing in my room?" I scowled at him. My eyes widened at the sound of my own voice. I didn't even say anything to Professor McGonigal when she told me that Riddle would be staying here, in my dorm at Hogwarts, where he and many of his followers had killed its students. Why was I wasting my breath on him? I thought about it and reached a conclusion. I had said before that I didn't talk because I had nothing to say, well with Tom Riddle standing there a lot of things came to my mind that I could say to him. And I would bloody say them.

"My apologizes, Miss." He said in a smooth voice. "I didn't mean to startle you." He bent low in a mock bow. I snarled at him before taking a few steps closer. I had to be at least a foot shorter than him but I didn't care, this pathetic excuse of a man would not cause me to cower in my own room.

"Save the sweet talkfor someone who will actually believe it." I snarled. He smirked in a very Draco-like manner that was a mixture of mad scientist and evil ruler. I narrowed my eyes and clenched my jaw. He made no indication that he planned to go away. "This would be your cue to leave." I told him as intimidatingly as I could. I looked into his eyes and saw that a tint of red resided there, I took a step back out of recognition of those eyes, the eyes I had seen so many times in my dreams, the eyes of the man that stood over my best friends dead body...

I closed my eyes and willed the thoughts away, I couldn't break down, not with him watching. He still stood there, staring at me as if I was the dangerous one here. He took a step closer to me, which instinctively made me step back. He liked that I was scared of him, Voldemort drew power from other people's fear. I pulled myself together and took a step back toward him. I cranked my neck up to look at him.

"I don't know what I have done to offend you, you don't even know me." I shivered at the cold voice that was a fair cry different than the one he had used only moments before. I held his gaze, not wanting him to think he could break me. "What could I have possibly done to make you hate me so much." Sarcasm dripped from his voice. I could feel my blood boiling at the cruelty in his voice. I raised my hand to strike him across the face but he caught my wrist inches before my hand could make contact. He stared at me, eyes redder than they had been before.

"You will never hit me again, Granger." Tom Riddle said. I wretched my wrist from his grasp. I looked down at the red finger marks he had left there from his tight grip. I shoot him a hate laced glance. Taking another step toward him, I was now only inches from his chest.

"Wanna bet?" I asked with a scornful smirk. Riddle raised his eye brows at me like he didn't believe my threat. "Get. Out. Of. Here." I nodded toward the door before turning my back to him, a true sign that I wouldn't back down to him, not this time, not ever. I could feel his presence still in the room. I stayed with my back to him, arms crossed across my chest defensively. I heard his footsteps on the carpet coming closer to me, not moving away. A second later I felt his breath on my neck, I wanted to turn around but I couldn't find the strength too. He leaned down near my neck and whispered into my ear. "I'm glad I messed you up this much, Granger." He left my room and closed the door, I managed to make it to the door to lock it and cast a silencing charm before collapsing onto the soft carpet and crying until I fell asleep where I sat.

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I woke up on my bed, not quite sure how I got there. The room around me looked strange. This was not the room I had just managed to get used to at Lupin's, this was my room at Hogwarts. I was surrounded by my house colors, they covered my bed, chair, and curtains. I was back at school unfortunately. With Lord Voldemort about twenty feet away. I got up quick and went over to see if my door was still locked, it was. I sighed in relief and began to get ready for my first day of classes. I put on the mandatory plaid skirt, white oxford, and tie with the Gryffindor colors on them and decided to add a black sweat over it. My hair had tamed itself over the years so nothing had to be done with it, the curls just sort of fell into place which I was thankful for.

I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and dabbed on a bit of mascara before leaving the room. I looked across the hall to see Riddle's door to be closed still. I went down the stairs, feeling slightly comforted by the possibility of him still sleeping. I stopped dead in my track when I saw him sitting on the couch by the fireplace. He had a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. He looked up at me after hearing the sound of my footsteps, he once again flashed an evil smirk that made my teeth cringe. He raised his mug to me before returning to his book. I grabbed my stuff before heading out the door and away from him.

I went to the Great Hall to get something to eat. The room wasn't very full due to the early hour which I appreciated, I could be alone for a while before classes. I took the seat furtherest from a large group of students and began to fill my plate. I read one of my favorite books as I ate my breakfast. It was a novel, not one of my usual favorites but it was still very good. The book was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It was a muggle book but it was amazing. I think I read it about ten times. The story was timeless. Lizzy Bennett sees nothing but the faults in Mr. Darcy. Lizzy couldn't stand the man, he was rich, powerful, and well stuck up. Despite everything Lizzy believes to be true about him, she ends up falling for him in the end. It was possible one of the best books ever written.

I finished breakfast and continued reading. I saw a shadow pass behind me and block on the light. I whipped around to see Tom... Redford standing there. He sat next to me and lifted up my book to read the title. I smacked his hand like he was a little child and wretched myself away from him and further down the bench.

He smiled at me, but behind that smile lied hate. His smile was saying one thing but his cold, dead eyes were saying something completely different. "Jane Austen? Well someone is a mudblood, aren't they?" He wiped his hands on his robes to show that just being near me made him feel dirty.

I narrowed my eyes into small slights. "Better than being a half-breed with daddy issues, Riddle." His eyes widened at my remark. I chuckled lightly, hoping I was making him feel uncomfortable. Through my research with... Harry and Ron (the thought of them tugged at my chest) we had found out about Tom Riddle before he changed into that horrible creature. Tom Riddle's father abandoned his mother when she was pregnant with him. His father was under a spell the entire time he was with Tom's mother, but Riddle never got over the fact that a muggle left his magical mom. "What's the matter, Riddle? Did your daddy not want you?" I saw his face contort into an expression that reminded me of his later years as Lord Voldemort. He was beyond angry.

If it was anyone else I would have felt sorry for them, but when it came to Tom Riddle, I would show no mercy. He got up but kept his eyes on me. He spun on his heels and calmly rushed over to the Slytherin table. He, like I, opted to sit by himself, keeping as much distance between him and the other students as humanly possible. For a fraction of a second I thought I detected a hint of sadness fill his eyes but I figured that was impossible. Lord Voldemort, whether he be as he was before his death or as Tom Riddle would never have a soul. The thought was almost laughable really.

I turned back to my book and read until Professor McGonigal came to give me my seventh year schedule. She held the paper out to me. I went to grab it but she pulled away before my hand clasped the schedule. I shot my gaze up at the Headmistress.

"Hermione, is everything alright? Mr. Redford is not making any trouble for you, is he?" The teacher asked me quietly and sternly. I nodded my head to show everything was fine. I could handle Ridd- Redford by myself. I didn't need a teacher to give him a detention and a slap on the wrist. At the moment this was my battle not hers. She pressed her lips together in response. She gave one firm nod before holding the paper out to me once more, this time a managed to take in from her grasp. She moved on to the other Gryffindors without another word.

My schedule was vigorous. I had advanced NEWT's classes in every subject. Runes would not be much of a problem, neither would charms, transfiguration, or DADA. Potions however was a different matter. I have always been good with this subject but with a new teacher, it might turn out to be as easy a class as the others or it might turn out to be intense and impossible to complete. I had no clue who the new potions master would be or how they had planned their curriculum so I would just have to cross that bridge when I came to it.

I stood up and gathered my things. I read the book as I walked out of the Great Hall, not watching where I was going. I ran into someone as I was exiting through the door. I looked up, startled at the sudden contact. Tom Riddle was standing there, a book lay in his hands also. I scoffed before pushing past him. I hurried down a nearby corridor to escape the evil boy. Through the twists and turns I made it to my first class. As I looked down at my watch, I noticed that I was also a half-hour early to Defense Against the Dark Arts. I sighed before entering the room. I jumped back, startled by the sight of a figure sitting in the back row.

You have got to be kidding me... Tom Riddle had beat me to the class and choose seat before me. How had he arrived so fast? I left him standing at in the door way of the Great Hall. He didn't look back at me as I entered, probably because he knew who it was that stood behind him. I looked around the empty room and decided on a seat on the opposite side of the room but still in the back. If I was in the front I would draw too much attention to myself and attention is definitely not something I wanted. I sat down keeping my eyes forward. The room looked the same as it had the last six years I had classes in here. It still smelled like mold and there were still stains on the ceiling from potions gone bad but the room was different. It held an eerie air about it that gave me goose bumps.

The room felt different because I knew that Snape would not be coming in to teach it. His hateful presence had long since left this dungeon and left it seeming empty. Snape had a horrible personality but he was a great man. He gave up his life to try and save Harry, for that I will always remember him in a positive light even though he never thought much about me. I bowed my head out of respect. Whoever was the new teacher had so very large shoes to fill.

I reached in my bag to find my book, it had somehow managed to make it to the bottom of all my stuff when I put it away. When I bent down, I felt Redford's eyes on me. I looked up for a fraction of a second and met his eyes. He didn't smirk or glare, he was just sitting there looking at me. I shot up straight in my seat and began to read. I could tell he was still glancing at me from the corning of his eye but I ignored it. I attempted to read but could not. I read the same sentence about twenty times before throwing the novel down on my desk.

"What?" I yelled at him. He turned so he was sitting sideways in his chair, facing me. He opened his mouth twice but no words came out. I let out a angry, frustrated sigh. "Well?"

"Why didn't I kill you?" He stated simply, like it was the most obvious question for a person to ask another. I stared into his dark eyes, not knowing exactly what to say to him. Oh Merlin this is ridiculous! I am not explaining why he didn't kill me to him! I leaned back in my chair and racked my brain for the answer. After a moment of silence I realized that I had no clue why I was alive right now, there was no reason for me to be. I refocused my gave of Redford and pursed my lips. He was still looking at me intently.

I told him "I honestly don't know."

**intense, kinda. lol so tell me what you think, leave me a review! they help me act like i know what im doing ;] thanks for reading!**


	4. Four

**hery guys. ok im starting to notice that the chapters in this story are pretty short. im sorry bout that. it just seems the way they turn out. the good news is that i can update faster with them like this. so heres chapter four. i hope you like it! i dont own harry potter but you already knew that ;]**

_I know I should stop believing _

_I know there's no retrieving_

"I honestly don't know" the girl said.

How could she not know? I tried to kill her and she doesn't know why I failed? I turned to face the front and away from her. Granger's incompetence enraged me beyond belief. I didn't understand how this little girl could infuriate me so much but she had managed to get inside my head. She knew things about me, things that no one could possibly know and she used them against me. Mystery and intrigue surrounded this girl. One way or another I would find her insecurities and use them against her. I would make her suffer, I had too.

I dared to look her way one more time and I saw her features set hard and detached. She was so angry all the time, kind of like myself. _Your lumping yourself with mudbloods now? _An eerie voice echoed through my mind. I shook my head to release the thoughts, I would not associate myself with this girl, it was insane of me to even think such things. The strange voice calmed it's attack on me once I had seen reason.

The dungeons looked different than I remember them being. I always thought potions to be an adequate subject but I never cared for the dank spot where the class resided. I was top of my class every year, I expected to be in the head of the pack here as well, the time travel will not change my strive to be the best. Students began to trickle into the dungeon. They didn't seem to take notice of me and left me alone. Idiotic children. They had no idea who was sitting mere seats away from them, if they did people would take notice of me. Fear would cripple them and I would draw strength from it like I always did.

Some of the students came up to Granger and gave her a greeting. Her only response every time was a small wave or a slight smile. Not once did she use words with her peers. In fact, I had not seen her talk to anyone but me since I had arrived. She was furious when she found out I would be the Head Boy to her Head Girl but still she only pounded her fists against the desk. I would have to watch her and see what I discover. The room was full now except for the seat next to me and the one next to Granger. The bell rang signaling the beginning of the class. The teacher walked in and I recognized him at once as Professor Slughorn. It was so strange to see a familiar face in such strange surroundings.

He walked up to the front of the class and clasped his hands together in welcome. "Good morning class! I would like to give you a warm welcome to the advanced placement NEWT potions class! I see many faces I have seen before and some that are new." He scanned the room and his eyes froze in terror when he spotted me. He stumbled for words a couple of times before he stopped to regain his composure. He straightened his tie and wiped sweat from his brow. Horace Slughorn was always a complete imbecile, the fact that I brought terror to his face made me forget all about Granger for the time being.

I gave the teacher an evil smile, he stumbled to find words once more. "Ah... I.. uh... partners! Turn to face the person next to you and say hello to your new potions partner for your last year of Hogwarts!" He looked over me and Granger. "Ah, Mr.?"

"Redford, sir." I used the voice I used on all the teachers, it gave the effect that I was a 'honorable boy'. He cowered slightly as recognition of my voice increased his fears.

"Right Mr. Redford you will be partners with Miss. Granger."

I looked over to the girl, she wore a look of utter outrage and disgust but did not say anything to try and change what was happening. At that moment I knew she didn't talk to anyone... but me. I rolled my eyes and walked over to her. I placed my things on the floor and sat in the chair next to her. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. The silly little girl looked like someone had just put her in a timeout. Pathetic.

Slughorn gave us a 'review potion' to complete before the end of class. Hopefully Granger would not interfere too much and allow me to do this quickly and effectively. I never had a partner before because I didn't need one. I worked better on my own. Like I figured, the stubborn girl set about to get the ingredients and start to boil water in her cauldron (considering I didn't have a cauldrom we had to you her second hand one). She began to read the directions. I watched as her chocolate brown eyes scanned the page. She picked up a bottle of sorts and made to dump some of it's contents into the boiling cauldron. I stopped her inches before she dumped the liquid into the water. She glared daggers at me as I held her wrist. I was surprised that I did not feel the painful burning sensation in my hand from the touch of her skin.

The last two times (the only two times) I had touched her I felt as if my skin was on fire. This time nothing. I snapped out of my memories and removed my hand from her wrist. "I think I'd better do that."

She scoffed at me. "I think I know how to make a simple strengthening potion just fine without you distracting me and possibly causing an accident." She leaned in close to me. I assumed she was trying to intimidate me but was failing miserable. "Tell me. Along with being a vile, murderous monster are you also suicidal?"

She snapped her head away from me and her attention was back on the task at hand. I couldn't help but grin at her hateful, witty comment. I wiped it off my face quickly, hoping Granger didn't notice. What was this girl doing to me? "No I'm not." I stated simply. I furrowed my eyebrows in concentration. I watched closely as she added the Re'em blood. I read the next step in the directions and selected a snake fang. I placed it gently in the cauldron so it would not cause an explosion. The potion was now a bright red color which met that we were brewing it correctly. I saw her eyes drift to me as I read the directions.

"What?" I asked gingerly, not even bothering to look up at her, it would be a waste of time. She grabbed a piece of a lavender plant and placed it into the pot.

"I didn't say anything." She spat.

"No, but you were looking at me. What is it Granger?" She rolled her eyes and refused to answer. We worked on in silence. We finished first out of every one in the class and Slughorn came to check over our work.

"Well done." I noticed he was addressing Granger and not me when he said this, honestly this man was a complete git. He walked away from us and over to a table were two students from Hufflepuff had managed to blow up their potion. It figures that it was Hufflepuff's that screwed up. If you were in Hufflepuff you were automatically a moron.

Granger bottled up our potion and went up to place it on Slughorn's desk. She made to grab the cauldron but I beat her to it. "I've got it." I wrinkled my forehead at my own words. In my right mind I would never have had offered to help a mudblood, ever.

"Why?" She asked confusedly.

I had no idea why I offered to do it. I could possibly be suffering from head trauma I had received last night when I hit my head? There was no reasonable explanation for my actions. Granger was staring at me, waiting for an answer. I thought quickly. "Because your hands are dirty Granger, just like you blood. Move aside." I pushed past her and over to the sinks. I could feel the heat of her anger floating over to me. What was happening? Why was I acting like this? All my questions came back to one answer: Granger.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of my classes were a waste of time. Hogwarts must have lowered it's standards over the years because every student in my advanced NEWTs classes was unintelligent and positively primitive. Well all of them except one. The only person that could even be considered close to being in my league was Granger. She was still a silly girl but a silly girl who had a lot of knowledge.

I made my way back to the Head's dorm after classes. I didn't like being around the other students, they made me feel dumber every second I was near them. I said the password and walked through the portrait of a knight. The common room was empty. Good, that meant Granger was out gallivanting with other lowly people like herself. I went over to the little kitchenette the dorm had and grabbed a glass of water. I turned around and saw that unfortunately my assumption about Granger being out was wrong. She was sprawled out on the couch with that childish muggle novel in her hands. She looked up at me and grimaced. She returned to her book without a word to me.

I pursed my lips at her. "I need to study." I told her.

"Fine." She said, not really paying attention to what I was saying. I let out an angry sigh.

"Go away." I told her forcefully.

"I think not. You go away."

"No!"

"Well I'm not going." She said stubbornly.

"Well neither am I." I hissed through my teeth. I would have used the _crucio_ curse on her but my wand would not obey my command even if I did cast the spell. _Damn. _

"Fine." She said. Granger was trying very hard not to lose her temper, I could tell. What she would accomplish if she keep her cool I had no clue.

"Fine." I snarled. I sat down on the couch opposite to hers and took my books out of my bag. The History of Magic professor assigned an essay about the pixie crisis of 1980 that was due next week. Considering that I hadn't even been to 1980... yet I had to brush up on my 'history'. I could hear Granger tapping her finger on the book as she read. I let out a deep breath and tried to ignore it. The tapping continued for five more minutes. I had not been able to take in anything I had read for the past ten pages. I threw the book across the room. It hit the wall and made a loud crashing noise. She jumped at the sudden movement, she was half sitting with her hand in her wand pocket. Ha, as if she could even be challenge for me.

"Will you desist, mudblood!?" Her eyes went wide at my comment. She threw down her book as well. She walked around the coffee table and stood inches from my chest. I was sure she was going to attempt to hit me once more but she didn't. Her fists clenched tightly and her jaw was locked. I could tell she wanted to scream at me but she never did.

She let out a growl before storming away from me and back to her couch. She sat back down and opened the book again. Her lack of response made me even more frustrated and angry with her. She should have yelled, she should have tried to hit me but nothing. I walked over to get my book. It had landed on the floor right near her spot. I bent down to get it and looked up at her. "I should have killed you when I had the chance." I hissed. My eyes were narrow slights by this point, the 'creature' side of me was taking control and Tom Riddle was spilling away. She smile slightly. Something I was not expecting to see. She put the book marker in the book and laid it on the coffee table. She leaned in close to were I was kneeling. Her eyes were filled with hate and something else. I couldn't exactly identify the emotion that resided there but it seems along the lines of sadness.

"Yeah you should have." she growled lowly. She flew up from the couch and headed to the stairs that led to our rooms. She stopped on the last step. I heard her take a deep breath before turning around to face me. "But that is just one mistake we both will have to live with now."

Next thing I know I hear the slamming of a door. I sat on the floor where the Gryffindor left me stunned. I have never been stunned before in my life. I never allowed myself to be. But Granger had managed to do the impossible things when it came to me. I had no idea how Granger had managed to weasel her way into my head. She was just a huge question mark. Despite all I did not know about her there was one thing I knew for certain: Granger had nothing to live for.

**thanks for reading! let me know what you think. reviews keep me from sucking! =]**


	5. Five

**hey guys. sorry it took so long to update. i was finishing my other story up and starting the sequel. i was really into it and put my full focus on that. but here is chapter five. i hope you guys are liking the story so far! =]**

_It's over now_

_What have you done?_

I locked myself in my room for the rest of the night, I didn't even bother to go down to dinner. I wouldn't eat anyway so it would have just been a waste. I lay on my bed and stare up into the depths of my canopy. I didn't know how much more of Tom Riddle I could take. He was evil, vile, and twisted along with numerous other unflattering qualities. I hated the man with ever fiber of my being. The wind howled outside my window. I got up from my bed and went to the ledge. I pressed my forehead against the cold glass and exhaled deeply.

I was pretty sure I had gone mental. I allowed Lord Voldemort to invade my mind and now he refused to leave. Ever since he got here, he was on my mind. It was out of anger and hatred for him, of course but still was it any better than being obsessed with his looks like the girls were back when he was actually _in_ school? The wind crashed against my window again, silently answering my unasked question. Voldemort was in my mind, my school, and my living area. I was stuck with him for the time being.

I woke early the next morning, being restricted to my room had made me more tired that I thought it would have and I went to sleep early the night before. I dressed quickly before rushing downstairs and out the portrait hole. I didn't pause to see if Riddle was there, I really didn't care. After last night I didn't want to face him. He said he wished he would have killed me when he had the chance and I agreed with him. I shook my head and let out a frustrated sigh. I'm sure he enjoyed that tremendously.

I went to the Great Hall and sat in the same spot I had occupied the day before. I nibbled on a piece of toast slowly. I had a lot of time to kill before classes started and I didn't want to get there early again and be alone with _him_. I made one piece of toast last half an hour. I looked to my watch, classes began in fifteen minutes. I was satisfied that I wasted enough time and would not be alone with Riddle so I made my way to the dungeons.

I walked in and found that my intuition was wrong. Voldemort (well small Voldemort) was sitting alone in the classroom with a book in his hands. He didn't look up at me, he simply allowed a crocked grin appear on his face. I crossed my arms and went to sit next to my potions partner. I scooted my chair as far away from him as the table would possible allow. If I went any farther I would be blocking the aisle that led to the front of the classroom. We sat in silence. He read while I tapped my finger on the desk. I remembered from the night before that he didn't like that, so I tried to make it as obnoxious as I could. He didn't make an indication that he noticed what I was doing. This made me mad and I tapped louder. Still no reaction. My fingertips began to hurt from the force of my blows to the table, I reluctantly stopped my tapping.

I heard him let out a chuckle through the deafening silence. I glared at him. He chuckled a little more. "Shut up." I scoffed. He covered his mouth to hide the smile that had appeared there. I was taken aback by this. Riddle didn't smile. He smirked or grinned but nothing was ever a smile. I felt my face soften. He had a nice smile. It held no evil or fury in it. Just something that strangely resembled... amusement. I turned away from him and faced the front. It couldn't be possible that Riddle held some good emotions inside that twisted mind of his. Could it? I shook my head to get the ridiculous thoughts out of my head. Students started entered the classroom in pairs or set of three or four and found their seats.

Slughorn pranced in promptly as the bell signaled. The balding man was pleasant enough until his eyes landed on Riddle. I noticed him do this yesterday but I figured he would have gotten a grip by now. Apparently not. He stuttered a few times before announcing that we would be making another potion for him today. He dismissed us to begin and I went to work gathering the cauldron and boiling some water. I took a step toward the storage cabinet but was stopped by a large, cold hand on my shoulder. I whipped my head around and looked up into the face of Tom Riddle. I rolled my shoulder to get away from his touch. His eyes widened for a second before he snapped his arm down to his side where it rested limply.

"I'll get the ingredients." He announced. I wrinkled my forehead. His face hardened. "You know, I wouldn't like you to mess up and get the wrong things." He added coolly. I rolled my eyes and looked to down at the potions book to read the directions. He brushed past me rather roughly. I glared at his retreating back. I saw that the hand that had touched me was tensed up. He must be disgusted that he had touched a _mudblood. _

Honestly, how thick could you get? Now that I was completely and utterly enraged I tried to focus on the task at hand. I reread the steps three times to make sure that I understood the procedure. I felt confident in my ability to make this potion without a hitch. Riddle came back a moment later with the things we needed. He placed them on the table in a neat, orderly manner. Good, at least he wasn't a slob. I began to put the different ingredients into the cauldron.

Riddle just sat back and watched me. I looked at him once but all he did was smirk at me. He didn't make it seem like he was going to help. Fine, I didn't need his help anyway. I continued to follow the directions and add ingredients. I could feel his eyes on me. I tried to ignore it but it was too irritating. I absentmindedly let my eyes drift to my partner. His eyes shot to the potion then back to me. I shook my head to regain focus and looked to the potion. I tipped the bottle upright in my hand. I must have been pouring as I watched Riddle. Mentally cursing myself, I peered into the steam. The potion looked around the right color it was supposed to be. Perhaps I didn't mess it up after all. A sigh of relief left my lips. I read over the next step and grabbed a rock like substance that the step instructed to use.

I dropped it into the purplish potions. The liquid began to boil and bubble. Everything that happened next was a blur. Riddle yelled "No!" and tackled me to the ground. I hit my head but not too hard that it hurt for more than a few seconds. Behind him I saw the explosion that came from inside the cauldron. Purple flames flew everywhere, mixed in every few inches were sparks that looked like they came from fireworks. I would have been pretty if it hadn't almost burnt me to death. The fire disappeared and the smoke began to clear. I felt Riddle's weight lift from my body. I looked up and stared him straight in his cold, dark eyes. He was searching my face for something, I couldn't tell what however. His eyes seemed a little warmer than they had a moment ago. Instead of black they looked almost brown. He shook his head before getting off me and allowing me to sit up.

I sat up and leaned against the leg of the table next to ours. Both of us sat there for a while and caught our breaths. "Are you trying to kill yourself?" He asked coolly. I glared at him. All the warmth in his eyes was gone and what was left was... Voldemort. "You cannot mix a moon stone with snake blood! At least not in that proportion! Are you always this incompetent?!" He was shouting at me now. I scoffed before returning to my feet. I brushed my clothes off before going over to the table. The table top was completely destroyed and warped. Slughorn was at my side a second later examining the damage.

"Well Miss. Granger that, I'm sure, was a first for you," He tisked at me before walking away. I let out a sigh. My gaze drifted back to Riddle. He was standing were I had left him with his lips pursed together. I wrinkled my forehead as I took in his appearance.

"You're bleeding," I told him with no emotion in my voice. I touched my forehead to show him where the gash was located on his own where blood was starting to trickle down the side of his face. He reached up and winced when he made contact with the cut. He lowered his hand and gazed at the blood. He let a sharp breath out through his lips like his injury was just a nuisance. Slughorn saw him doing this and shook his head.

"Miss. Granger, please escort your partner to the Hospital Wing," My head shot in his direction and my eyes narrowed.

"I can get there just fine by myself, Professor," Riddle snapped. Once again Slughon shook his head.

"Redford, you are bleeding a decent amount. If you get light-headed-"

"I won't," He spat back. Slughorn stepped back a step at the pure contempt in Riddle's voice. I was surprised to see that he was still trying to stand his ground. The professor turned his eyes to me.

"Miss. Granger, take him to the Hospital Wing, please," I rolled my eyes and walked out of the room, assuming that Riddle would stop being so stubborn and just follow me there. I heard the door slam a few seconds later. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that his steps were quickening until he overpassed me. He walked a few steps ahead of me for a few more corridors. We came to the changing staircase and waited for the stairs to go to the correct floor. The stairs eventually made it to us and we started the clime up. The Hospital Wing was still three, long corridors away so the walk would take us about ten more minutes. I hoped it would feel shorter than that.

Riddle stopped walking abruptly and I almost ran into his back. I watched as he stood there. He began to wobble from side to side. His legs collapsed and he his body began to fall to the floor. My instinctual reflexes kicked in and I caught his around his torso before he hit the hard marble. I fell to ground with him. He landed in my lap and I pushed him off so he was sitting on the floor. Clearly he had lost more blood. I looked to his face and say small rivers of crimson liquid running down his face and neck. Riddle tried to get up but for some reason I restrained him.

"I'm fine," He spat.

"Yeah, that's why you just fainted," I shot back. He only scoffed in response. I looked around trying to see if anyone was around but the hall was deserted. Classes were in session and there were no classrooms around here. He tried to get up again but I pushed his so he was back on the ground. "Just sit for a moment," I told him. He sighed and nodded his head. I helped him scoot over to the wall so he could lean against it. I plopped down next to him. I turned my head to get a better look at his gash, it looked pretty deep. I took off my robe and removed my sweater so I was left in my white oxford. I handed him the sweater and put my robes back on. He held the garment like didn't know what to do with it.

"Put pressure on that gash until you feel good enough to walk again," He made no response, just followed my orders. I leaned my head against the brick wall. Why was I helping Voldemort? I just gave him my sweater to mop up his blood with, what was I thinking? I turned my head to look at him. He had his eyes closed and like myself had his head against the cold wall. At that moment he just looked like a normal kid. Not evil or murderous, just injured and vulnerable. His eyes opened and looked into mine. I quickly withdrew my gaze and instead looked out the window across from us.

"Hey," I heard him say quietly. I turned back to him. His expression was soft and... was it innocent? "Thanks... for the sweater," I thought I had just had a stroke. Did Voldemort just say thank you? Was that even possible? I just nodded my head. More silence.

"Thanks," I swear I heard my voice say but I was positive I wasn't talking, I would never say that to Voldemort OR Tom Riddle. "For you know, saving my life and all, I guess," more words came out and it scared me. I didn't know what was going on or why I was thanking the man that killed my friends.

"You are welcome," He told me softly. He closed his eyes again. We sat in silence for a while longer. He stood up suddenly. I took it he was ok to walk now. I stood up and headed toward the Hospital Wing. He caught up with me again, Riddle still held the sweater to his forehead.

"You know, I still hate you, right?" I asked him. "Just because you saved me doesn't mean you're still not completely vile, cruel, horrible-"

"Yeah, I get it," He snarled. "Nothing has changed," He growled slowly. He sped up again, this time he didn't stay close. I watched his retreating back as he went around the final turn and disappeared into the Hospital Wing leaving me alone with my confusion.

**whatcha think? let me know! reviews keep me from sucking. thanks for reading! =] **


	6. Six

**hey guys. heres the next chapter. i hope you like it. it is basically chapter 5 but in toms pov. i dont own anything! **

_What have you done now?_

She walked right passed me this morning. She didn't make any indication that she even knew I was in the room. Not a grunt of displeasure or a roll of the eyes to show that she noticed my presence. This annoyed me beyond belief, I wasn't quite sure why but I knew I didn't like it. I slammed by book onto the glass coffee table, causing a crack in the center of the table. I sighed before grabbing my bag and heading for the door. I wasn't hungry so I went straight to Potions. As I expected, no one was there to irritate me further. I sat in my seat in the back of the room and pulled Granger's book from my bag. She left it in the Common Room last night and for some reason I decided to take it.

It wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. I grew up in the muggle world and knew of Jane Austen. She was a great writer. Granger had good taste. I wrinkled my forehead at my own thought. _Grander had good taste? _The door creaked open, I didn't have to look back to know who it was. It was as if she knew I was thinking about her and came to investigate. I heard her sigh before she reluctantly sat in the seat next to me. I pretended to keep reading when really I was looking at her from the corner of my eye. She was... decent looking I concluded. I had never cared about girls much (even though they all swooned over me like a bunch of morons) but Granger was different. I wanted to know her secrets and not for my usual diabolical purposes but simply to feed my curiosity.

Moments passes and she began to tap her fingers on the table top. I keep a straight face but my mind was going haywire. This girl was trying to get a raise out of me, her reasons for doing this were unclear but I liked her attempt. The tapping stopped and she let out a sound that sounded like a scoff of announce. I chuckled because of her frustration. I felt her eyes burning a hole into the side of my head which only made me laugh more. She turned away and my fit stop. I closed the book and stared at the front of the room. Why was I acting this way? I could not remember the last time I laughed or even smiled for that matter.

I took my chances and directed my eyes towards Granger, thankfully she didn't notice. My only conclusion for my strange behavior was the girl. It was the only reasonable explanation for my... softer actions. For some reason the Voldemort side of me was not fighting this too much. Today Tom Riddle was in control. I would never say I had a split personality but there were definitely two sides of me that fought to be dominate. I don't know who I wanted to be yet, but I would have to decide soon and I think the girl who sat next to me would be a part of the deciding factor. My eyes drifted once again to Granger. She seemed to be completely oblivious to my looks. Slughorn walked into the room and told us the potion we would be making today. It sounded simple enough and for that I was thankful. Granger got up to get the potion ingredients when I felt my hand shot out to stop her. She whipped her head around and gave me a look. My hand was still resting on her shoulder. I caught myself doing this and dropped my hand quickly to my side. What was I thinking? Granger was still looking at me like I had gone insane. Maybe I had.

"I'll get the ingredients," I started. Her face scrunched up questioningly. I had to think of something quickly so she wouldn't become suspicious of my change in behavior. I worked my voice so it held an icy tone. "You know, I wouldn't like you to mess up and get the wrong things." I walked past her and accidentally ran into her. I let out a deep breath after my back was turned to her. My fingers involuntarily stretched themselves out to their full ability. My fingers tingled at the spots where they made contact with her. It was the strangest feeling.

I gathered the various ingredients necessary and hurried back to our table. I set them up neatly and went to sit in my chair. I remembered from yesterday that she would have preferred to work alone. It was not in my nature to sit around while another worked but I thought I would amuse her. She glared at me which only made me smirk. Granger's eyes narrowed dangerously before returning to her work.

I studied what she was doing. Every step she took was precise and neat. She worked on for a while before her eyes drifted to me. Her chocolate brown gaze was intimidating but I welcomed it. My gaze switched to the cauldron to see she was still pouring snake's blood into the the bubbling liquid, it was an insanely large amount. She must have seen my eyes and turned back to her work. She quickly turned the bottle up right and placed the stopper in it. She inspected the potion. It must have looked alright to her because she grabbed for the next ingredient. I couldn't have been sure of what it was until I saw it drop from her hand and into the cauldron. She had just signed her death certificate if that was a moon stone.

"No!" I said more to my own thought that to her action. I felt my body fly through the air and tackle her to the ground. The potion started to fizz and bubble as I raced towards her. If I had been a fraction of a second later we would have both been done for. The potion exploded behind me, I was still on top of her and used my body to shield her own. I buried my head into the nape of her neck to keep debris for hitting it. The room went quiet and I believed it to be safe. I pulled my weight from Granger, hoping I didn't crush her too much. _You're hoping you didn't crush the mudblood? _An ice cold voice in my head scowled me. I tried to shake it away but the fury coming from it was almost too much. _You're weak, Tom. _The voice taunted me now. I was quickly becoming furious. I looked up and saw Granger. She suddenly repulsed me and I wanted nothing more than to infuriate her. "Are you trying to kill yourself?" My voice was as cold as the one inside my head's. She looked at me with almost guilty eyes that only enraged me more. "You cannot mix a moon stone with snake blood! At least not in that proportion! Are you always this incompetent?!" She scoffed and stood up. I stayed on the ground for a while collecting my bearings.

The Voldemort side was coming out again and I wasn't sure I wanted it to. The endless pit of anger in my stomach would not go away, I supposed I would have to endure it until Tom Riddle could come back. Without my knowledge Granger had got up and walked away from my position by the table next to our wrecked one. Granger looked at me a few moments later.

"You're bleeding," She sounded detached and uninterested. I reached up to feel my forehead and winced. Now that the adrenaline was wearing out the pain was coming on. I removed my fingertips from my head and looked at them. They were, indeed, covered in the salty, red liquid. The sight and smell of my own blood disgusted me. I vaguely heard Slughorn telling Granger to escort me to the Hospital Wing.

I rejected the idea. I do not need help from anyone, especially not a silly girl like Granger. The professor continued to argue with me until Granger finally got fed up and stomped out of the door, deciding for both of us. Finding myself tired of the situation I followed behind her. I caught the door just before it slammed into the door frame. I wanted the satisfaction of slamming it myself, I throw the wood so hard against the frame that the wall around it shook slightly. The force at which I slammed the door felt good. The burning anger inside of me was beginning to diminish. I quickened my steps hoping the rush of air I felt against my skin would help to calm the fury as well. I quickly over took Granger and fell into step a few feet ahead of her. We walked on in silence, she never fell far behind my long strides. We were almost to the infirmary when a sudden rush of dizziness took over me.

I halted my step, trying to stop the hall around me from spinning. I felt something push against my back slightly which only made things worse. The force of the spinning room caused me to loose balance. My knees buckled and I tumbled to the floor. I expected to feel the hard impact of flesh against marble like I had the day I arrived but it never came.

Tiny hands were wrapped around my waist and I was sitting on a lumpy form instead of the hard, smooth ground. The tiny hands that had been wrapped around my stomach now moved to push me off. I sat on the floor now, realizing that Granger had caught me when I fell. I tried to stand back up but Granger was restraining me.

"I'm fine," I told her defiantly. She shook her head at me.

"Yeah, that's why you just fainted," she told me. I only scoffed, I do not faint, ever. A little blood loss was not something to keep me down. I could make it to the Hospital Wing. I looked up at Granger, I noticed her face was not as angry as it usually was.

It held something that was a bit softer. It was not affection but perhaps tolerability. At the sight of her, the fury in the pit of my stomach evaporated. For the time being, I was Tom. Voldemort had retreated back into a black hole inside of me and it felt good. I wanted to get up but she once again pushed me down. She told me to just sit for a minute. I complied with her command, sighing slightly at the thought of being weak enough to do it. I watched as she searched furiously up and down the hall, I did the same. The hall was deserted leaving us completely alone.

She placed her tiny hands under my arms and helped me slid on the floor until I was against the wall. She sat next to me and examined my injuries. Now that I thought about it, the pain was intense. I feel the blood flowing down my face in hot, wet droplets. By the look on Granger's face it looked as bad as it felt.

The next thing I knew, the brown haired girl was taking off her robe. She then peeled off her Gryffindor sweater and handed it to me. I took it absentmindedly from her. My thoughts were still on the image of her taking the sweater off... She said something that made my mind snap back to the present. I didn't exactly know what she said but I figured she told me to put the sweater against my gash. She rested her head against the wall, I dared to look at her for a while. The sunlight was catching her face exquisitely. It framed her face in a way that almost made her hardened features soften. I smiled before leaning my own head back against the wall and closing my eyes. Why was I suddenly so interested in Granger?

Yesterday or even this morning I would have never thought I would regard her as anything other than someone with a weak mind that I could toy with but everything had changed in the course of an hour. It was strange, but I wasn't completely sure it was bad. I opened my eyes and looked at her.

"Hey," the words began to slip out of my mouth. She looked at me with her stunning chocolate brown eyes. "Thanks... for the sweater," I felt the need to elaborate on what I was thanking her for. She looked at me with a confused expression. I was hoping she was not going to get angry again. She simply nodded which didn't give me a clue to her mood. The corridor was silent as I continued to look at her. Eventually I averted my gaze only to have my attention focused back to her. She thanked me for helping her in Potions. I told her she was welcome. I closed me eyes again and once I knew she wasn't looking, I let out a smile.

I thought that this was a sign, maybe even a peace offering. We were even as of now and I thought she would be able to put the anger behind her. Moments passed and the dizziness faded, leaving my mind clear and able to function. I got to my feet, testing myself to see if I was able to continue on, I was. Granger stood up and began to walk before me. I managed to catch up to her once again. This time I dared to walk next to her. The worst thing that could happen was that she would slow down or speed up. I held her sweater firmly to my forehead, ready for whatever she brought. We walked on in silence.

"You know, I still hate you, right?" She told me randomly, breaking the silence that I wished was still there. "Just because you saved me doesn't mean you're still not completely vile, cruel, horrible-"

"Yeah, I get it," I cut her off gingerly. Fury filled me once more, giving me the feeling of whiplash. Today the two sides of me were battling fiercely, the tables had turned once again leaving me with Voldemort. The Tom side of me felt pain in his chest where my heart was. Voldemort just snarled at me. _What did I tell you? You are weak. Letting your emotions get in the way, just like your mother. _I had never felt more angry or hurt in my life. I let my mind open up to the possibility of that.... mudblood being someone I could trust, possibly even like and now... now that was never going to happened. I looked to the short girl next to me. "Nothing has changed," I stormed off down the hall and into the infirmary, leaving Granger and the thoughts I had been thinking far behind me. I had a moment of weakness, but never again.

I walked into the room smelling of illness and sat in a chair by the door. The old nurse came up to me and placed her hand under my chin. "What happened?" She asked me professionally. I told her the story and she set to work on getting the necessary things to treat me. I lowered the small sweater from my head and looked at it a moment. The sight of it made me clench my jaw now. I throw the thing as far across the room as I could. I wanted nothing to remind me of my stupid thoughts and ideas. The sweater slid across the floor and under a bed so it was out of view. I hit my head on the wall that I leaned against one fierce time. I felt like a fool, Granger had made me look like a fool. But never again. No, I let the thought of her enter my mind once, but I would never make the same mistake twice.

**tell me what you think! i love to hear from you guys. this chapter was a bit confusing (considering tom was having mood swings throughout it) so let me know if you have any questions. thank you for reading! =]**


	7. Seven

**hey guys sorry it took so long to get the new chapter up. i had a whole lot of things going on. this chapter is pretty good, i like it. so let me know what you think! i dont own anything! =] **

_I have been waiting for someone like you_

_But now you are slipping away_

It has been a week since I talked to Tom Riddle last. We shared a common room, classes, and duties but still we have not had a conversation. I remember when he came back from the Hospital Wing. I had been contemplating every possible explanation for the reason I felt differently about him for that fraction of a day but nothing made sense to me. I was sitting on my favorite couch when he walked in.

"Hey, are you ok?" I asked quietly. He waved me off and gave me a disgusted look before storming up to his room with his robes billowing behind him. I scoffed in disbelief. I knew from that moment on that nothing was different between us. I was stupid for thinking so. No, I hated him. He killed everyone I had ever cared about. I laughed at my stupidity before shoving the thought from my mind.

So we both went on living our lives as if the other didn't exist. I sat in the common room doing homework a week and two days after the accident. I heard footsteps coming from upstairs followed by the distinct sound of glass breaking. I looked up from my Runes essay and to the ceiling, half expecting it to collapse on top of me. The noises stopped and I returned my attention to my work.

A moment later the bangs and crashes reappeared to the quiet room. I let out a frustrated sigh and dropped my quill on the table. I wanted to ignore what I heard but could not find the strength to do so. I got up from my position on the couch and slowly made my to the winding staircase. More clangs could be heard from the floor above me. I steadily walked the flight of stairs and stood outside of Riddle's room. I took a deep breath before pushing on the wood of the door. The door was slightly ajar so I entered the room without him noticing.

Riddle's back was turned to me with his attention on the bookcase he had just destroyed. I could see glass scattered on the floor near his feet along with a few droplets of blood, which was very surprising. I would never have guessed that Tom Riddle was the accident prone type. The older version of himself would never be caught bleeding. I had seen this version bleed twice along with laying on the ground in pain upon his arrival. I took an uneasy step closer to him and hit a squeaky floorboard.

He shot around to face me with an outraged yet vulnerable expression written all over his person. "What the bloody hell are you doing in here?!" His voice sounded like ice. Malice laced his ever word. I took a step back and observed him. His chest was rising and falling in quick, short motions and his face was red with fury. I shook my head to clear my thoughts before answering.

"I heard a racket up here and I cannot concentrate when you are throwing a fit!" I scowled back. My words betrayed the emotion I was trying to portray and left me with what I was actually feeling. Concern and Fear. Riddle had no response for me. I looked him up and down once more and found the culprit of the blood stains. His left hand had a large gash on it, luckily this one didn't look as deep as the one he received in potions a week ago. Wait. Luckily? What was I thinking? I wanted him to feel pain. I wanted him to feel as bad as I do everyday. But somehow that wasn't happening. I let out a disappointed and defeated sigh. "Sit down and let me take a look at your hand," My words softened his mood and relaxed his body. He took a deep breath before moving to the bed. His eyes were on me every step he took as if he were analyzing my next move.

I walked out of the room and into our conjoined bathroom. I retrieved a towel, band aids, hydrogen peroxide and first aid ointment before coming back and finding Riddle sitting where I left him. I went over to the bed and sat down next to him. I laid out all of my first aid supplies and put them in a neat, orderly fashion.

Riddle was staring at me from the corner of his eye as I worked to pour a dash of the hydrogen peroxide on the towel to clean his wound. I stared at the towel I held in my hand then at Riddle. He gave me a quizzical look.

"I, um, I need your hand... to clean out your cut," I stammered out. The thought of making skin to skin contact with a young Voldemort was a little mortifying but also in some way... intriguing. He studied me for a quick moment before nodding his head. He reached his hand out to give to me. I looked at it hesitantly before sliding my own hand under his. I took the wet part of the tower and dabbed it onto the bleeding gash. He winced almost undetectably. I cleaned the wound in silence. A question was rolling around in my mind for him but I wasn't sure if I wanted it answered. I glanced up at him before shooting my eyes back down.

"What happened that made you so angry? I mean, why did you destroy your room?" My curiosity got the best of me and I asked the question. I tried to act indifferent as I rubbed the ointment on his gash. I felt him tense up which caused my eyes to jump to his dark brown ones. Riddle pursed his lips and let out a forced breath.

"I-I don't know," he stated flatly. I felt disappointed in his answer. With a nod of my head I finished bandaging his hand.

"Well there you go," I said quietly. I stood up and headed for the door.

"Hermione," My feet forgot how to move and I leaned against the door frame for support at the sound of my own name. Riddle had never said my first name out loud before. I never expected to hear it either. I turned around still in a state of shock and faced him. He stood a couple feet away from me with his body stiff and uncomfortable looking. Riddle's eyes rested on a place near my feet never once lifting them to look me in the eye.

"When I said I don't know I meant... I meant I don't know why I'm here. In this time... with you," His gaze shifted from the carpet to me. That was the second time I had ever seen Tom Riddle look human.

"Me too," I responded quietly. He cocked an eyebrow at me. I sighed, hating the situation I had gotten myself into and sat on the arm of the leather chair next to me. "I don't know what I'm doing here," Riddle walked over to me slowly and sat down on the small footrest in front of the chair I resided in.

"I'm sorry," said Riddle, his voice was sincere but hesitant . At that moment something inside of me softened enough to feel an emotion I had not felt in a long time; acceptance. I accepted the fact that Riddle was here, I accepted that Harry and Ron were dead... I accepted the fact that I didn't blame him for my problems. I blamed Voldemort, not Riddle. I had a feeling in my gut telling me that I could no longer blame Riddle for my troubles. The only thing I could do now was try to change him for the better. He wasn't Voldemort yet.

He had saved me in Potions that day which showed that he still had some good in him. If he still held onto that small sliver of compassion, then there was hope for him.

"I forgive you," I finally said after my epiphany. Riddle looked up at me and nodded. A smile crept across his smile, showing off his humanity. One corner of my mouth lifted up as well. We smiled at each other for a while before I shook my head back to reality. "Um, I'll clean up that glass,"

"It's alright. I can do it," He protested but I lifted my hand to stop the argument from going any farther.

"And risk injury to your other hand? It's ok, I don't mind," I flashed him a small smile and went to pick up the scattered pieces of sharp glass. The tiny shards were numerous on the floor around me. I had no idea how many glass objects he had smashed, all I knew was that he did a good job with it. I reached for a piece of glass only to have a hand clasp over the top of mine at the same time. I gasped and looked up at the hand's owner. Riddle quickly retracted his hand and took a step back. I locked gazes with him then picked up the remainder of the glass shards. I cradled the sharp glass in my hands and stood up.

I headed to the door and was about to walk out but stopped just short of the hallway once more. "If you want-need to talk you know where to find me," I offered to Riddle. Silence came from his direction.

I was about to continue on my way when I heard "Yes, I know," come from his lips. I nodded my head once and left Riddle and his room behind me.

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I couldn't sleep that night. I tossed and turned, there was no comfortable position that would allow sleep to come. I finally settled on getting up and sitting by the window. I pulled the large leather chair that resided by my bookshelf over to the window. I grabbed a blanket from my bed and relaxed into the cool leather. The stars were bright that night and gave me the peace I needed.

I had had Riddle on my mind since I exited his room this afternoon. I didn't know why it happened or how but I knew that I was changed. I didn't feel as angry or scared as I had before around Riddle. Something happened that dramatically shifted my way of thinking. Whatever that something was I found it in Tom's eyes and words. Tom? Since when did I call Riddle Tom? About the same time I stopped hating him. I sighed at my own brain arguing with me. I didn't want to think about this right now. I snuggled deeper into my chair and eventually fell asleep.

_"Hermione, run! Get out of here!" Ron called from the other side of the courtyard. I shot one more spell at my opponent, it was successful. The Death Eater fell to the ground with a thump. Only when I saw his body hit the grass did I dare to sneak a peak at Ronald. He was being double teamed by two masked foes. I ran as fast as I could to get to him and help but it was too late. I was about five feet away when the green flash hit him square in the chest. _

_"RON!" I ran faster and caught his body before it hit the earth. I landed on the ground, cradling the redhead in my arms. His usually bright eyes were dull and expressionless. Ronald Weasley died. Tears threatened to escape my eyes but I wouldn't let them. Gathering up all of my courage I laid Ron gently on the soft grass and closed his eyes. With one last look I leaped back into battle. I took down two more hooded figures before I had time to catch my breath. My eyes scanned the scene around me. Bodies were scattered everywhere, the people left standing barely had the strength to fight any longer. _

_It had been twenty minutes since Harry left into the woods. He was still nowhere in sight. A flash of green flew past my left ear and I was once again engulfed in the battle. Five minutes later the fighting evaporated. People surrounding me lowered their weapons and stared into the tree line of the Forbidden Forrest. I spun on my heels to see but never lowered my wand. Hagrid emerged from the woods carrying a limp Harry in his arms. _

_My knees buckled and I fell to the ground. Harry was dead. Hagrid stopped in front of me and lowered Harry so he was on my level. I looked at my best friend and saw the stillness with which he lay there. I grabbed his hand and raised it to my cheek. Both of my best friends and most of everyone I knew was dead by now. The sea of Death Eaters parted and Voldemort emerged from their ranks. Hagrid positioned himself so he was in front of me and Harry. I watched as Voldemort told the giant to move aside. He refused. A moment later a green glow was emitted and Hagrid fell to the ground next to me. Dead. _

_I screamed and gripped Harry's hand harder. I screamed until I felt a pressure coming from Harry's hand. I fell silent and stared at the boy laying in front of me. I once again felt Harry's hand squeeze my own and my heart leap a thousand feet into the air. Harry was alive after all. _

_"Well, if it isn't the mudblood. Still alive, are you?" Voldemort's icy voice came through the pale, cold air. I tried to raise my head to look at him but my body refused the request my brain had made. All I had the power to do was look at a still breathing (now that I saw it) Harry and listen to the Dark Lord. _

_"I noticed that the Weasley is dead and clearly there lay the leader of your 'Golden Trio' so it seems the only one left to eliminate is you," Harry tensed up at the news of Ron's death. I willed the tears away from my eyes, not letting them appear in the presence of this vile creature. Voldemort raised his wand so it was pointed at my head. I squeezed Harry's hand with both of mine and closed my eyes, awaiting the inevitable. _

_"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort screamed with a raging fury. _

_"No!" Harry shot up and covered my body with his. I heard a scream coming from behind him and then a shooting bright light. The light left Harry and he fell once again to the ground, this time I was sure Voldemort's deed was done. I finally was able to look into the cold, red eyes of the Dark Lord. He was shivering in pain as parts of him began to explode into light. He raised his wand to me one last time, about ready to have me join my dead friends. He hesitated the slightest bit, and that hesitation is what kept me alive. His wand dropped to the grass and the Dark Lord exploded into an abyss of light. I fell back from the force of it and stayed there. _

"Hermione! Wake up!" I felt someone shaking me but I kept on screaming. It had to be a Death Eater. Couldn't they let me cower it peace! "Hermione! It's a bad dream! Open your eyes!" My scream stopped. Just a dream? I opened one eye slowly followed by the other. I was in my Head Dorm surrounded by all of the Gryffindor paraphernalia and my books. It was just a dream. The night of the Final Battle of Hogwarts was long over. I looked up to see Riddle standing over me with his hands gripping my shoulders.

I tried my best to keep it together but the dream was too real for me to handle. My head fell to my knees and I began to cry harder than I had ever before. Riddle released his hold on me when the tears started to flow. He took a step back and sat on the window ledge. I continued to cry with such intensity that my sobs shook my entire body. I cried like that for a few minutes before Riddle came back to me. He got to his knees in front of me and lifted my hands from my face.

I was forced to look at him with red rimmed eyes. His face showed confusion and something that resembled concern. "It was just a dream, Hermione. You're safe now," He stated matter of factly. I nodded my hand and started to cry again. It just felt so real. Tom sighed and wrapped me in an awkward hug. I rested my hands and head against his chest, welcoming the feeling of contact with another human but I decided that I should keep my guard up around this particular one. Tom held me like that until my sobs subsided all together and I was able to function properly.

I leaned back from Tom's embrace and cuddled into my chair. Tom looked at me for a minute before plopping onto the floor across from the chair. Silence filled the room. Tom continued to study me and I him. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. I sniffled in response before deciding what to say.

"I just had a dream of the night..." I couldn't finish the sentence and I was pretty sure that I didn't need to. Tom sternly nodded once before getting up and exiting the room. I followed him with my eyes until he was out of my line of sight. I felt a small ping in my chest where my heart resided. I let out a shaky breath and melted into the back of the chair, managing to cover up every inch of my body with the blanket during the process. I was settling in for a long night. I knew I was not getting back to sleep tonight and it wasn't because of the dream. It was because of Tom Riddle.

**thank you so much for reading! please leave me a review! i love the feedback. **


	8. Eight

**Hey guys. Sorry it took so long for me to update. I hope you like the chapter. I enjoyed writing it! You know I don't own anything, but I just thought I would remind you. =] **

_What have you done now?_

_Why, why does fate make us suffer?_

What have I done? I chanted through my mind as I paced the length of my bedroom. Hermione... Granger had managed to weasel her way back into my mind. I was careful. I ignored her. But I dropped my guard for one solitary moment and she was back in my head. I am now afraid that she would never leave. I, Tom Riddle, do not mind her presence at all. But Voldemort, I feel the pit of fire burning in my chest and the loathing that my alter ego presented whenever Hermione was around me. No, Voldemort was not pleased with the bushy haired girl and the way she had managed to break through my tough skin into the interior.

I stopped my pacing and leaned against the window, letting the cool glass sooth me. How had I let myself get so attached to her so fast? She walked in my door four and half hours ago and all of my work to shut her out the last week had gone to waste. I had been sitting in my room for the past four hours pondering these thoughts, all of my questions still had no answers. I left my spot by the window and went to lay down. The clock that ticked away on my wall read 12:32 am.

I must have dozed off because I remembered waking to the sound of a shrill, terrified scream coming from Hermione's room. In a flash I was by her side. She was curled in a ball, scrunched into a over sized chair. I tried to shake her awake but my efforts were useless. She continued to scream and clench my arms, digging her nails into my skin.

"Hermione! Wake up! It's a bad dream! Open your eyes!" I yelled back at her. I repeated my words until they eventually sunk in. She looked around her once her eyes finally opened, I was guessing she was making sure she was safe. Her eyes settled on me as I stared at her with the same intensity trying to figure out what scared the fearless girl to such a state.

A second later tears flooded her chocolate brown eyes and she succumbed to the terror her dream had caused her. I backed away from her, not sure what I was supposed to do when something like this happened. Sure I had seen girls cry but never had I had to comfort one. She sobbed deeply into her hands causing her whole body to shake. Not knowing what else to do, I knelt down and forces her tiny hands from her face. "It was just a dream, Hermione. You're safe now," I reassured her. She nodded before succumbing once more to her fear. With every tear Hermione shed I felt a brick being removed from the wall I placed around myself, my guard was falling faster than I could rebuild it and my emotions came flooding into my being.

I wrapped her in a tense hug and held her close to me. She clung to me with a strong grip I didn't know she possessed. I let myself hold her like that for a while. My body eventually relaxed into her and cradled Hermione even more. Hermione quieted every time I rocked her until silence filled the Head Girl's dorm. She pulled away from me and leaned into the arm chair. I plopped down across from the chair against the wall so I could study her. I didn't plan on leaving her tonight, not in her current state.

The cold of the window that was above me made me shiver slightly and wish for Hermione to be in my arms once more. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked the girl in the chair who was trying to pull herself together with grace. The silence was deafening and I could no longer stand it.

"I just had a dream of the night..." She trailed off with her last word. She looked at me with knowing eyes and I had to lower my gaze. I nodded once before realizing I had to leave the room, the air suddenly became too heavy with the guilt I felt that I could barely breath. I shot up from the floor and all but ran from the room. I continued my fast pace until I reached my room and slammed the door behind me. It was all my fault. The tears, the fear, all of it was on me. I was to blame for Hermione's condition and I could barely stand it. _Why do you care? _The ice cold voice in my head inquired. _What's it to us if the mudblood suffers? You relished in that pain only weeks ago and now you have grown weak. _I shook my head to make the voice stop. I would not let the Voldemort side of me be in control. I, Tom Riddle, liked to be this way. I liked having someone around, someone I felt I had fallen completely for. I didn't want the evil side of me to take that away.

A small knock came from my door. I jumped a little from the sudden noise coming from the quietness. I went to the door and waited a minute with my hand on the door knob. I knew full well who was outside my door but I still couldn't help but hesitate before opening it. The door swung open to reveal Hermione. The chocolate brown eyes were no longer moist and her skin was glowing in the moonlight radiating in from my window. I also saw that she had managed to pull her hair back into a wild bun.

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" I asked quietly as if someone would catch us. She bit her bottom lip and shifted her weight from foot to foot, letting her uncomfortableness show freely.

"I don't want to be alone," She said in a voice that was barely audible. She lifted her brown eyes to cast her gaze on me. "Do you mind if I...?" She trailed off and just pointed to my room instead. I felt my eyes widening. She was asking to stay with me... in my room. I stared at her, stunned at was she wanted. She noticed my pause and shook her head. Hermione chuckled half-heartedly. "This was a stupid... I'm sorry I bothered you," She turned around and took a step away. My hand instinctively went out to her wrist to stop her.

"If you like you are welcome to stay," I told her. She paused before turning her head to look back at me. She smiled a little and walked into the room. I closed the door and looked at her. Hermione was standing in the middle of my dorm awkwardly. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I had never been in a situation like this with a girl, not to mention, one like Hermione Granger. I tried to snap my mind out of it. "Um, you can take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch," I told her. She responded with a small nod and a lift of one side of her mouth. She went to the bed and sat down. I watched her a few more seconds before walking over and taking my pillow. I laid down on the couch and threw the blanket that rested over the couch on top of me. It wasn't until I was settled in that I realized I was still in my Hogwart's robes.

It was too late now to change and even if I did there was no way I would feel comfortable sporting pajamas in front of Hermione. I put my hands under my head to support it and looked up at the ceiling. A few moments later, Hermione's breath became slow and even. She had fallen asleep, hopefully awaited by better dreams than she had earlier. My eyes started to drift closed until sleep took over me. For the first time ever in my life, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

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I woke the next morning to see my bed empty and made. Hermione must have left before the sun rose. I sat up and stretched my back to it's maximum. It was slightly sore due to my sleeping arrangements but I didn't mind too much. I rubbed my eyes and sat back on the couch. It was the first Saturday in October, meaning that today was the first Hogsmeade weekend. I groaned at the thought. I had never been one for the Hogsmeade trips. Never having someone to go with, I never attended myself.

I looked at the clock and noted that it was way past the time I usually slept till. I stretched one more time before deciding to get up, shower, and change my clothes. I didn't really have many clothes in this time so I had to resort to wearing a pair of khaki's and and white oxford.

Running my hands through my hair, I headed out of my room and down the stairs. To my surprise Hermione was sitting at our small table with a bowl of cereal. She looked up from her book at the sound of my footsteps. The girl smiled. I felt my mouth curl up into something similar. She motioned to the seat across from her and I went to sit down.

She returned to her book and pushed the box of sugary cereal towards me. I almost laughed at how engulfed in the story she was. I got up from my chair, went to our kitchenette, and grabbed an apple from the basket that lay on the counter before returning to the table. I rubbed the apple on my shirt before taking a small bite.

I watched Hermione switch from taking spoonfuls of cereal to reading a page. She must have felt my eyes on her because she placed the marker in her book and placed it to the side of the table.

Hermione tapped her fingers on the table top, this time I was assuming it was out of habit more than a need to annoy me. The common room filled with silence as we sat awkwardly. The events of the previous night hung around us as if we were in a cocoon that wrapped us in what happened.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade today?" Hermione broke the silence with a question. My eyes shot up and gazed at her. Her face showed that she was genuinely curious for my answer. The thought made me grin.

"I doubt it," I told her truthfully. If I didn't know better I would have said that her face fell a little but I knew that would be completely improbable. Hermione nodded her head and returned to tapping her fingers.

I watched as her fingertips rose and fell against the wood. There was a scar on her right hand just below her wrist that shone a bright pink against the rest of her skin. It looked like it was once a long, deep gash that extended from her knuckles to the spot where her hand ended and arm began. Hermione stopped tapping abruptly and placed her hands in her lap. I looked up at her and her eyes darted away from my glance. She probably felt my eyes on her.

"You should go," She said out of no where. I furrowed my eyebrows to her.

"Go where?" I inquired.

"To Hogsmeade. I have to pick up somethings there and Merlin knows I have no one to accompany me. If you want, you may," She told me. Just as they had last night, my eyes grew wide in shock. Hermione's feelings had changed drastically since last week. I had no clue what had gotten into her but I had a strange feeling that I liked the change.

"It'd be my honor," I responded. One side of her mouth pulled up in a half smile.

"Okay, then. It's settled. I'll meet you down here in an hour," She nodded her head and got up to clear her dishes. Now that she was standing I saw she was dressed in a pair of old jeans and a ratty Qudditch t shirt. On anyone else I would have said the outfit was hideous but on her it just looked adorable.

I dropped my eyes as she turned around and took another bite of my apple. Hermione picked up her book and headed for the stairs. I leaned back in my chair and relaxed while I could. I knew there was no way I would be able to keep myself calm while spending the entire day with Hermione Granger. The thought ran through my mind and caused me to feel more nervous. The moments of ease I had felt only a fraction of an hour earlier were long gone and replaced with anxiousness.

**Tell me what you think! I love the feedback. Thank you so much for reading! **


	9. Nine

**Hey guys. So sorry it took so long for me to update. I had a major case of writer's block with this story but I think it's better now that school is out and I have time to focus on it without schoolwork interfering. So I hope you like it! **

_There's a curse between us,_

_between me and you_

We were one of the last sets of people to arrive in the small village of Hogsmeade thanks to me. I had a small amount of trouble finding one of my shoes this morning and it ended up being wedged between two boxes in my closet. Tom and I were walking along main street just like every other kid when we first got to Hogsmeade. Eventually the students started to break off into groups or pairs and go into the various stores, shops, and pubs until only Tom and I were left on the street.

I am not going to say that this whole experience with Tom was not strange for me because it was. But somehow I felt as if it was not a big deal, like I had done it before in another life or alternate universe. I knew this would impossible however because never in my life had ever been this close to the man that was to become the most evil wizard in the world but still Tom gave me a small case of deja voo none the less. We were silent as we walked along the brick road. It was a few moments before either us would say a word.

"What did you need to pick up today?" He asked formally. I looked up at him and thought about his question.

"I, um, I need to get some things for my Runes project." I informed him. He simply nodded and turned his gaze back to face forward. I did the same. More silence followed. We walked to the end of main street and I pointed to the left to show we needed to head down the next lane. Tom once again nodded and I followed his example.

The silence was slowly making me feel how awkward this whole situation was between us. What were we to each other? Friends? Acquiescences? I wasn't really sure at this point. Hopefully this inquiry was something I would be able to figure out by the end of this little outing.

"You know," Tom's sudden words snapped me out of my thoughts and I concentrated on him. "This village has not changed much in fifty years. Everything seems exactly the same." He told me. I smiled and looked down at my feet.

"Yes, I suppose it hasn't. I don't think Hogsmeade has changed since Hogwarts was built in all honesty." I informed him in my 'book worm' like voice.

Tom glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "Did you read that in _Hogwarts: A History_?" He questioned me with a smirk growing across his face.

My mouth dropped open as if he had offended me and I let out a little scoff. "I didn't-" He stopped me mid sentence with a roll of his eyes and set me with look that said he wouldn't believe me if I said I hadn't.

I bit my lower lip. "Yes, alright I did." I laughed a little and pushed some hair out of my face. Tom smiled a small smile but made no other response. At his look I felt like I needed to defend myself for being such a know it all. "But it is a truly fascinating book if you give it a chance and read it."

"Oh, I know." Tom said. I wrinkled my forehead at him. "I've read it three times." He elaborated.

"You have?" I felt myself questioning him with a surprised tone in my voice.

"Yes. When I first arrived at Hogwarts I felt as if I should know about the castle in which I would be staying. After I finished it the first time I fell in love with the book. I found the information that resided in it's pages to be very useful." He told me with an amused tone laced into his voice. His statement made me stop walking and just stare at him. He noticed my sudden pause and turned back to me. I looked into his eyes and let out a scoff of bewilderment and a humorless laugh. I dropped my gaze and my mouth dropped open along with it. How could I be so stupid?

"Hermione?" I heard Tom call to me. I shook my head and kept my eyes down. Those words he just spoke... the pages of _Hogwarts: A History _being useful to him...

"The Chamber of Secrets." I said to myself in a small whisper as the recognition of his humor in his statement took over my brain.

"How do you know about that?" Tom asked slowly as if I had caught him in a lie. I shot my eyes up and met, not Tom's, but Voldemort's. How could I be so stupid?

"I don't see how it really matters, Riddle." I snapped at him. He came toward me with a confused look etched onto his hard face. I stepped away when he tried to put a hand on my shoulder. He retracted his hand quickly and just opted to stare at me instead with a hurt expression. At that moment, he knew he was caught. He knew I knew about the chamber and what he had done all those years ago and he so looked like the Dark Lord in that moment... "Bloody hell." I back away from him again. I spun on my heels and started to fast walk away from the Slytherin. "How could I be so stupid?" I scowled myself again.

"Hermione! Wait!" I heard Riddle's voice call after me. I kept walking. He eventually caught up to me and grabbed hold of my shoulders to make sure I would listen and pay attention to him. "Will you just talk to me?" He asked, a little frustrated. I scoffed again and brushed his hands off of me. This morning I would have probably welcomed his touch but now...

"Merlin, I need a drink." I said to myself before stomping off again. I could not believe this! Me! Hermione Jean Granger!? Start to have feelings for Tom Riddle aka Lord Voldemort himself? The man-thing- who killed everyone I have ever known and loved!?

"Hermione!" I heard him call one last time before I rounded a corner onto one of the bustling streets of Hogsmeade village. I looked around me but saw Riddle nowhere in sight. Good. Now all I had to do was find alcohol. I was never one for drinking but right now I could use the buzz it provided. The question was where to get it. Madame Rosmerta at the Three Broomsticks would never sell me a bottle of fire whiskey but I'm sure I could find a shabby old pub that would be willing to to it just to make a few extra sickles. I wandered down the street before finding my target. The pub I had chosen was filthy and called Merlin's Hideout. It seemed perfect.

I pushed open the door and heard a bell start to ding above my head. The place was completely deserted except for the man behind the grim covered counter. He was filthy just as his establishment was with stringy dark hair. I walked up to the counter and cleared my throat to get his attention.

"And what can I do for you today, girly?" He asked me with a wink. I cringed but kept my composure. There was no chance in hell that he would sell me alcohol if I acted like the silly little school girl Tom thought me to be. Damn! Stop thinking about him!

'One bottle of fire whiskey, please." I asked nicely. He tilted his head to me and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you old enough for that?" He questioned me.

I pretended to be offended by his question. "Of course, I am! How dare you insinuate-"

"Yes, yes. Alright. I didn't mean to offend you." He said with a wave of his hand. He went to a shelf and came back to me with a large bottle filled with an amber liquid. I paid the man and left without a another word to him. The bell above the door dinged again as I left the pub behind me and headed into the busy street. Now, I had to find a place to get utterly wasted without any one noticing. The perfect place clicked in my mind: The Shrieking Shack. No one ever went up there anymore so it would be nice and private.

I made it up the large hill and came upon the creepy shack. I sat under a tree close to the fence. I opened the bottle in my hand and took a large sip. The whiskey burnt my throat on the way down but did the trick. By the time the bottle was a third of the way gone Tom Riddle and the ridiculousness of the situation I had put myself in was not even registering in my mind anymore. I looked out at the Shrieking Shack and thought back to my third year. Ron and I had came here during one Hogsmeade visit and we saw Draco and his gang of goons. Of course, they came to give us a hard time like they always did but then Harry showed up and messed with them a bit while under his Invisibility cloak. It was funny but it scared Ron half to death. He thought that Harry was a ghost from the most haunted house in Britain instead of an invisible Gryffindor . I laughed. Only Ron would think something like that.

These thoughts and memories of my dead friends only made me more depressed so I drank some more. My vision was blurry and I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I looked at the spinning bottle in my hand and noted that it was two thirds empty. I took another swig from the bottle and placed it on the ground next to me. My head was swimming in the effects of the whiskey and the numbness it brought to me felt good. I noticed that the sun was beginning to down and I figured that it was time to get back to the castle as I was sure everyone else was already doing. I held on to the trunk of the tree as I tried to stand up. The scenery around me was spinning but I still managed to get to a standing position. I kept my grasp on the bark and just tried to stay on my feet for a few minutes and gain a bit of balance. It was getting darker and darker so I decided to try my hand at walking.

I took a couple steps before the ground in front of me started to turn sideways leaving me with the feeling that I was in a fun house. I felt myself begin to fall but I never made contact with the hard ground. Strong arms wrapped around me, one at my waist the other under one of my arms. "Whoa. Hermione. I have you. It's okay." The voice was muffled and and a little shaky so it was hard to recognize. I whipped my head around and saw a tussle of brown hair. I still did not know who had me until I glanced down at the boy's robes and saw the Slytherin crest embroidered on them.

"Get off of me!" I slurred in Tom Riddle's direction and tried to push him off of me. His arms only wrapped around me tighter and kept me pinned against his chest.

"Hermione! Stop struggling!" He yelled at me with a frustrated edge to his deep voice. I could have complied to his request but I didn't. The more he held onto me the more outraged I became at him.

"Don't tell me what to do!" I slurred again. "I'm not one of your Death Eaters that you can command!"

His grip on me slackened and he completely let go. I spun around and looked him in the face. He seemed more terror struck than angry at my cruel comment but that could have been the alcohol playing tricks on my mind. Tom Riddle nor Voldemort let feelings such as terror be shown on their faces. As I gazed into his eyes the world began to spin even more than it had been before. I began to fall again but I never made it to the grass.

Once again Tom caught me in his arms. "I've got you, Hermione. It's okay." He repeated with a deep sigh. I was too dizzy and tired now to fight him off. I put a hand against my forehead to try and will the spinning from everything around me but it was no use. "Can you walk?" He asked me, concerned. I tried to take a step and stumbled.

"Apparently not." I said with only a small edge to my voice. The whiskey was taking full control of my mind now and things like staying mad where hard to do. Tom nodded and I felt my feet leave the ground. I looked around me and saw that Tom and picked me up and was cradling me in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head against his broad chest to keep myself steady.

"Everything is... spinning." I mumbled out. I felt my head rise and fall as a sigh escape from his chest.

"Yes, well I assume that is thanks to the fire whiskey." He said quietly. I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath. My anger at Tom was gone now, the alcohol had done it's job. When my buzz was gone, however, I was sure some sort of feelings toward him would return to me. Whether those emotions be anger, fear, or... affection I wasn't sure and I really wasn't looking forward to finding out. I felt drowsiness take over me and I yawned rather largely.

"Why did you do this to yourself?" Tom asked quietly. My eyes snapped open for a moment before drifting closed again. I wasn't planning on tell him anything really. But somehow the words came out of my mouth without my consent like my brain was plotting against me. I cranked my neck up and looked at Tom Riddle through partially closed eyes.

"Because _you_ made me feel something for you." His head started spinning again and I closed my eyes, without another thought I drifted off into a dreamless sleep. It wouldn't be until the next day that I realized I shouldn't be allowed to drink. Ever.

**Leave me a review please! I really love the feedback. Thank you so much for reading! **


	10. Ten

**Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter, Tom Riddle, Hermione Granger, whoever. None of them are mine sadly enough. **

**Okay, so this chapter might be a little rough to be honest. I proofed it and everything but my mind was on other things. I think it might work. lol **

**Onward!**

_Would you mind if I kill you?_

_Would you mind if I tried to?_

I carried Hermione up to the castle, then to our common room. I swayed ever so slightly as I walked while I took her up the last flight of cold, hard, treacherous stairs that led to her bedroom. My wooziness was not due to the weight of her body rather the weight of the words she spoke before falling asleep in my arms back in Hogsmeade. I thought back to what she said. _Because you made me feel something for you. _Was that true? Did those feelings she supposedly carried for me cause her so much... pain, so much hurt that she would want to get drunk to forget about them?

_Well you did murder her family and friends, there Tom. _I heard the ice cold voice of Voldemort in my head, I cringed. I scolded the voice to shut up and struggled to open the door to the Head Girl's bedroom. I was able to balance Hermione in one arm and turn the knob with the other. It was unbelievable how light the girl was but then again she rarely ate at meal times so I shouldn't be surprised in the least. I walked into the spotless room and laid the Gryffindor on her bed. Lifting up the covers, I managed to take her shoes off and slide her under the warmth of the blankets. I sighed as I looked down at the small girl. Hermione looked so vulnerable and... almost scared in her sleep. I knew at one point that she was a strong, lively woman but how had she managed to let herself get to this point?

_You. _Voldemort informed me._ Need I remind you, Tom not that long ago you would have loved the look on that mudblood's face and now-_

_Shut up! _I yelled at the 'Dark Lord'. I ran my hands roughly through my hair and sat down in the large armchair positioned next to Hermione's bed. _I'm not that person anymore. _

The voice inside my head chuckled. _Do you really think so, Tom? You just meet a silly little girl and then give up on everything we have been working toward since you arrived at Hogwarts in your first year? We had plans! We were going to take over the world and everything that was in it! We were going to rid the world of mudbloods like Granger. What happened that weakened you into a lesser man? _

I dared a look at Hermione's sleeping form. _I fell in love. _I confessed to the voice. Voldemort laughed hysterically at me and I became furious. I would love nothing more than be rid of him once and for all but I knew this was a wish that would not come easily to me.

_Haha. Oh Tom. You know nothing of love or anything like it. Hate is all you know and that is understandable. No one has ever loved you in your life. I am the closest thing you have to a loved one, but Granger? No. She is nothing. _

_That is a lie! _I fought back.

_Whatever you say Tom. But what happened today shows that she resents you and she has good reason to. She might say she has feelings for you but so what? One day she will realize that she could never fully love the man who killed numerous people including her family and friends and tortured countless more. And then you will be left alone and loveless, Yet again._

_I didn't kill all of those people though!_

_Ah, not yet my young friend. But you will and she will hate you for it. _

Voldemort's words were getting to me. I had to make him stop talking before he started to control me and my thoughts again. There had to be something...

_I love her. You can't understand that Voldemort but it is true. Now leave! _

A fading chuckle was the last I heard of him for that night. I sighed and settled into the comfortable arm chair. I would not let his words get to me, every one of them was poison. If I bought into his lies I would be under his control once more. I couldn't do that, not anymore. My eyes drifted to Hermione and I watched her sleep for a time. I didn't know how long I sat there before I drifted off to sleep myself. I had woken up that morning confident in my relationship with Hermione but now I was certain of nothing but the way I felt for her. And that frightened me to the end of my last nerve.

I woke up the next morning with a blanket draped over me. I yawned and stretched my sore, cramped muscles before opening my eyes. Hermione was no longer in her bed. I took a glance around the room but she was nowhere to be seen. I stood up, folded the blanket, and went in to my own room to change my clothes. Like always, I selected a pair of the Hogwarts uniform black slacks and a white button down oxford. But instead of putting on my sweater like I usually did I decided to only wear the white oxford. I left a few buttons undone so I believed my look made me seem slightly like a homeless person but I ignored that gnawing feeling and opted to find Hermione instead. I checked the bathroom but she was not there, neither was she in the common room. I decided to check her bedroom one more time but still she was absent. I sighed defeatedly and slumped onto her bed. I heard a crinkle of paper coming from under my leg. I shifted my weight and removed the paper from under me, and saw that Hermione had left me a note. I read the note and mumbled the words as I went.

"Tom, I needed time to think. Don't try to find me. Hermione." I read the note a couple of times while letting the words register in my mind. Don't try to find me? After what she told me in her drunken stupor I was just supposed to leave her alone? Pretend like she didn't confess her feelings for me, forget it had ever happened? I really hated the idea. I couldn't be expected to sit around and wait for her like some silly love-sick puppy... That's what I would have to do, I figured. I thought to myself that perhaps this was a test Hermione set for me to prove that I have changed... or stayed the same as she had known me to be from my past (well to me it would be my future).

That had to be the answer for her request to be alone. She wanted to see how I'd react to what she asked of me. I'd do it but I wouldn't like it bit had to do this if I wanted Hermione to be in my life. A cackle sounded in my mind and I sighed at the return of the Dark Lord.

_Ah, Tom. You stupid, insolent boy. I told you before how this would end with the mudblood. Why do you insist to go on with this charade? Tell me Tom, what do you think will happen between you and the mudblood- that is if she doesn't find you to be the completely spineless piece of scum that we both know you to be? Will the two of you have a happily ever after? Haha. I bet that's what you think will happen. Sad, flighty boy. _

I ignored the lies coming through the silence. I knew Voldemort's words were laced with what he wanted me to believe instead of with absolute fact but still I felt some truth to those words. What did I want to happen between me and Hermione? There was no way we could have a normal relationship. Merlin, I've never even dated a girl in my own time let alone fifty years in the future. At that moment I realized how ridiculous I sounded. Who was I to think I deserved Hermione after everything I've done-well what I _will_ do- to her? A deep sigh escaped my chest at the thought.

I just needed to calm down. Since I came here I had changed to the point that I was almost a brand new person. I was no longer angry or power mad. I didn't want world domination or to kill mudbloods. None of that mattered to me any more. It seemed so strange to be relieved of all those pent up negative emotions. I, Tom Riddle, am no longer the person I was fifty years ago and I was hoping that Hermione Granger could one day see that change in me. But still there were two things that stood in the way of me having the life I so desperately wanted with Hermione: One was Voldemort and the other was Miss Granger herself. I made a promise to myself at that moment. I promised that I would prove to her (Voldemort, and myself) that I was worthy of her affection and I would do anything to make her see that I meant it.

An hour later I was getting cabin fever from sitting in the common room of the Head's Dorm all morning. The room felt as if it was caving in on me and I could not take the claustrophobia I was feeling any longer. I had to get out. Grabbing my over due library book, I exited the Head's tower and began the long haul down the endless staircases and corridors that led to the library. It struck me as strange that the Head Dorm was so far from the library. The Head's were supposed to be the smartest, most studious of the students at Hogwarts so why were we the farthest from resources that would only help us further our education? I didn't think on it too long. The incompetence of the architect of the building and the person who decided the set up of the school would not allow me to get to the library any faster.

I walked slowly, studying the paintings on the walls as I went. For the first time in my life, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going or my immediate surroundings. As I looked at a painting of an unusual man in a strange hat I felt something-well, more like a someone- bump straight into my chest. My hands went out to steady them and I looked down to see the person I held was Hermione. Her eyes met mine and I quickly released my grip on her, not wanting to startle the girl more than she clearly already was. The look in her eyes hurt me but I ignored the feeling.

"Hermione, are you alright?" I questioned her. She stared at me for a moment before shaking her head as if to clear it.

"Yes, yes I'm fine." She said quickly. I nodded my head and took a small step back from her to keep her comfortable in my presence. After that, we just stood there and let an awkward silence engulf us. Clearly, neither of us wanted to be the one to say something first but the topic of what happened yesterday had to come up eventually. I dared a glance at Hermione at the exact same moment her eyes lifted to look at me. Both of us shot our eyes in a different direction, embarrassed for getting caught looking at each other. More silence.

Once I thought the silence was going to drive me mad (well more mad then I already was), I decided to say something.

"Look, about last night-"

"About last night-"

We both shut up when we started talking at the exact same moment. Jeesh, what was wrong with us? I chuckled nervously as Hermione bit her lip. "You may go first." I told her with a slight bow. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Last night, I was..." She broke off and shook her head with a smile on her face as if she was embarrassed for her actions. "...not myself." Were the words she decided on. "I said somethings and I don't know if you heard them-"

"I did." I cut in. She looked at me, blinked, and nodded her head.

"Well, like I said before I was not myself. And I.. I don't know."

She looked so confused standing in front of me that I couldn't help but try to help her and give her an out if she wanted one. "Listen," I sighed. "I'll understand if you want to take back what you confessed. You had enough fire whiskey last night that I wouldn't blame you for saying things you didn't mean at all."

"I did." She blurted out. I blinked at her, trying to figure out what she said.

"I'm sorry?" I questioned the words and thought I might have heard her wrong.

"I meant them, it's just... I don't know if I can trust those feelings or..." She trailed off again not knowing what words to say. I helped her one more time.

"Or me?" I finished while looking down at my feet. She pursed her lips together and nodded.

"I need time." She finished while rubbing one hand up and down the opposite arm, showing how awkward she really felt with this situation we had put ourselves in . A slight pain ran through my chest but I still nodded reassuringly.

"Then time is what you shall get, Hermione." I told her with an almost forced smile.

Surprisingly, she smiled back at me. A silence developed between us again. A thought suddenly hit me. "I found your note and I wasn't coming to look for you if that's what you think. I was just on my way to the library to bring this book back." I flashed her the leather bound book in hand as I tried to defend myself. I didn't want her to think I was following her around the castle or anything like that.

She nodded her head fiercely "Yeah, no I didn't think you were." The Gryffindor pursed her lips together and nodded once more. I did the same.

Without knowing what I was doing I quickly asked if she wanted to accompany me to the library. She stared up at me like I had just asked her to join Slytherin House.

A few seconds later she responded. "Okay."

I tilted one side of my mouth up in some sort of a smile before extending my hand out in front of us, silently saying we should move on. We walked on without a word, unsurprisingly. After what felt like hours of torturous quiet we made it to the large, airy library. I opened the door for Hermione and she said thank you.

"I'll only be a minute." I told her. She nodded before I went up to the front desk and proceeded to return the book and pay the fine for the overdue volume. When that was finished I turned to see that Hermione had disappeared from my sight. I looked to the doors but I didn't hear them open or close so I assumed that she was still somewhere among the stacks of books. I started my hunt. I searched up and down every aisle and row until I was half way to the back of the library. I found Hermione pacing up and down the shelf, reading the spines of the books that sat there as she went along. I walked over to her and leaned against the table that was positioned in that aisle that was used for studying. I crossed my arms and watched as she looked at the various books in front of her.

I knew she felt my eyes on her back but I didn't feel the need to look away from her. "Find anything interesting?" I questioned. She just shrugged before turning to look at me.

"I always do." She said before scanning the next shelf up. Something caught her eye and she tilted her head to read the spine of a volume more intently. Hermione stretched her arm up to get it but could not quite reach. I looked at her hand and saw the brutal scar that resided there. That scar intrigued me and terrified me at the same time. The scar tissue held something symbolic and meaningful to her history, and I was scared that I was the reason for the scar flawing her perfect skin.

"Tom?" I heard Hermione call to me through my thoughts. My eyes shot up to look at the curly haired girl. I gave her a confused look and she pointed up to the book she had been looking at. "Do you think you could grab that for me, please?" She asked.

I nodded my head. "Of course." With that I got up, went to the shelf, and plucked the one she had wanted from it's spot.

She mumbled a "thanks" before opening the book and flipping through it's pages. I still stood by the shelf, staring at her scar.

"Hermione?" I asked her quietly. Her beautiful chocolate brown eyes snapped up to look into my dark brown ones. "What happened to your hand?" I asked. She looked down at her hand before looking up to me again. I took a deep breath and continued. "How did you get that scar?"

She just pulled her shirt sleeve down over her hand so I could no longer see it in response to my questions, clearly she didn't want to discuss it. My eyes widened and I took a step back from her as I realized what that could possible mean. She only avoiding a subject when it involved... _Dear Merlin. _

"Hermione, I need you to tell me what I did." I almost whispered.

Her mouth dropped open and her gaze darkened. I shook my head and gave her a pleading look. "I need to know what I have done. All of it."

**So, I just read this again and I might have been overreacting. lol. It's been a long day. Leave me a review please! Thanks for reading! **


	11. Eleven

**Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter. It's sad but true. **

**Okay, I know it's taking me forever to update but I get serisouly bad writers block with this story. It's hard for me to start it but once I get into it, it gets really easy and I just start typing and BAM! chapter. Lol. I hope you like it! **

_'Cuz you have turned it to my worst enemy_

_You carry hate that I don't feel_

"I'm sorry? You would like me to do what?" I asked. I was beyond stunned by Tom's question. There is no reasonable explanation as to why he would want to know all of what he did or will do during the rein of Voldemort. I looked down at the scar that resided on my hand and thought back to a time when the world was less civilized and more barbaric because of the man standing in front of me.

A hand soon covered my own and traced the length of the scar repeatedly. My gaze shot up and saw that Tom's eyes were filled with curiosity and fear. "Please?" He pleaded. As I stood there staring into his eyes I noticed that they were no longer cold, black, and angry. Tom Riddle's eyes were warm, scared, and a rich brown color. I sucked in a breath. The last couple of weeks Tom was able to regain his humanity. He became more real and less evil. If I subjected him to all of the horrible stories of his past then I could perhaps be responsible for making this man lose what soul he was able to find and in the end he would plummet back into the empty shell that was Lord Voldemort. I couldn't and wouldn't have that on my conscious.

"I can't." My voice was barely above a whisper but my words were able to carry far enough for them to be heard. Tom's thumb stopped it's caress as he stared at me with shining eyes.

"Why not?" He asked simply in a calm voice. I had known him long enough now to know that the calm attitude acted as a mask to hide his true feelings. I took another deep breath.

"Because..." I trailed off and looked down at my feet, not knowing what I should tell him and what I shouldn't. A warm hand slid under my chin and lifted it up gently so I met his deep, brown gaze.

"Because why, Hermione? You can tell me." He said quietly. His gaze never left mine for a second and I was enthralled in the very essence of this new Riddle. I didn't want to lie but I didn't want to tell him the truth that would for sure result in him finding out how completely entranced I was by him. I concluded that the second of these options was the only one I would be able to do. I was never a good liar, Harry and Ron had told me that everyday since we had met in our first year.

Tears welled up in my eyes and were threatening to break through to the surface. "Because..." I hesitated for a moment before continuing on. "Because I don't want the new you to go away and leave me alone again." The tears overflowed and began to fall down my cheeks in thick, wet droplets. Automatically, Tom's hand went up and cupped my cheek. His thumb soothingly wiped away the tear that began to roll down my cheeks. I tilted my head into his touch and more tears escaped my eyes.

With him so close to me, I became afraid. Afraid of losing him to what he is supposed to become, afraid of what he can do, afraid of the inevitable. The horrible things Tom did in the past still happened in the here and now. We cannot change them and I really didn't want him to dwell on his mistakes (like I was already doing for him) now that he had gained his humanity. The news of what he did would break the man he was turning into and that scared me half to death.

"Hermione?" He called to me through the mist of doubts that surrounded my head. I looked up to met his brown gaze. Tom took a deep breath and looked as if he was having an internal battle raging in the depths of his mind. He shook his head with determination before addressing me further. "I am not going anywhere. This," He motioned to himself. "is me now. And this," Tom now pointed to me and then to his own chest. "isn't just a small thing. Not for me at least. Nothing you say or do could keep me away from you now. You have my word."

I pursed my lips and wiped fiercely at my eyes before nodding my head. "Okay." I told him. A lopsided smile appeared on his face and he dropped his hand from my face. Cold air rushed to the spot where his touch had warmed my cheek and I instantly missed his fingertips against my skin.

"Let's sit." He said and pulled out a chair for me at the study table. I looked at the wooden chair and shook my head. He raised a brow at me.

"Not here. Let's go back to the common room." I suggested.

"Alright." Tom pushed the chair back in. "After you." I walked ahead of him until we made it out of the library and he caught up to fall into stride next to me. The walk to the Head Dorm was excruciatingly quiet. I was too busy thinking of what I was going to say about... this to even get a word in anyway. I'm sure Tom was just giving me the time I needed to put together a speech of sorts for him. We arrived at the common room too soon for my liking and Tom opened the portrait for me. I shuffled in slowly and took a seat on the small love seat that was positioned close to the roaring fire place.

Tom took a seat on the coffee table that stood before my sofa. He sat with a stiff, tense, straight back and watched me with questioning eyes. "Hermione, please. Just tell me and get it over with." He asked of me.

I smiled a little. "Rip off the band aid. Right?" I quoted what my mother used to always tell me when I was a little girl. The funny thing is that she always said that it hurt less if you rip it off fast instead of slowly peeling off the strip but in reality it always hurt like hell either way you did it.

"Right." Tom said with a nod. I looked up to his face and saw the desperation with which he wanted to know his story.

"Okay." I whispered. "What do you want to know first?"

Tom thought about it for a moment and said. "What happened to me? After Hogwarts?"

I shrugged. "No one knows. You disappeared after you graduated and were on hiatus. Then you came back, wanted a job at the school, and Dumbledore would not give it to you. You didn't take that very well."

He wrinkled his forehead at me. "How do you know all of this in such detail?"

I took in a sharp breath. What was I supposed to tell him? The truth would be ideal but I wasn't sure if I could bring myself to tell him. This man who sat in front of me was not Lord Voldemort, this was Tom Riddle and Tom Riddle was not a mass murder at least I hoped not anymore. I looked up into his brown eyes and the words began to tumble out of my mouth on their own. "Because I spent two years trying to find ways to kill you." I told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The sentence was complete and it registered in my mind, I gasped.

I just told him that I had tried to kill him. My face put on a horror stricken expression as I looked at him. To my surprise, he only smiled back at me. "I supposed I deserved that considering I have tried to kill you on numerous occasions according to Professor McGonigal." He was trying to laugh off what I had just told him but I could tell the hurt ran deep. I leaned in and put a hand on his knee.

"I'd never do that now though Tom, you must know that but..." I trailed off and tried to find the right words to tell him. "But you cannot blame me for it then."

He sighed and placed his own hand rather hesitantly over mine. "Of course, I don't. I wouldn't blame you for it if you tried it now in all honesty." He whispered.

I furrowed my eye brow at his strangeness. "Why would you say that?"

"Hermione, you know everything about me, yes?" He asked. I just nodded, keeping the confused look on my face.

"Then you know that I am a monster. I know this myself."

I tilted my head and let my gaze burn into him. "Tom, but you aren't. You haven't done any of those things yet."

He scoffed and shook his head. "Hermione, I killed my father and his family. Not to mention what happened with the Chamber of Secrets. I mean, look at me. I'm evil, always have been. I could just as easily release the Basilisk again and reek havoc on the school for a second time as I could make a simple sleeping drought."

I frowned. "Third time, actually." I muttered. His head shot up to stare at me.

"What?"

I swore under my breath. I knew this whole 'tell him everything' thing wasn't going to work out well. I hadn't even told him anything horrible yet and already he was giving himself a hard time. "Um, in my second year the Chamber of Secrets opened again."

He put on a disbelieving expression and I watched as his eyes grew colder. "How?"

I paused. "Your diary. It possessed a little girl-" I cut off at the thought of Ginny Weasley but continued soon after. "and you forced her to open the chamber and release the Basilisk." I told him.

His hand snapped away from covering mine and went to run through his hair. "Did anyone die?" He sounded scared.

"No!' I almost shouted. "Some were petrified but all of us were-"

"All of us!?" He shouted. He stood up and towered over me. "You were one of the students who were attacked!?"

I opened my mouth to say something but could only manage to sputter a few incoherent words. Tom snarled and walked over to the fireplace. He placed his hands on the smooth wood of the mantle, let his head hang, and took a few deep breaths. I watched his as he tried to keep his wits about him. He took one final deep breath and everything went silent. "What else?"

I blinked a couple of times, a bid confused, before saying anything. "What-what else?"

He kept facing the fireplace with his posture tense and his fingers digging into the wood of the mantle. "What else has happened to you because of me?" He asked in an ice cold voice that sent a shiver down my spine. How do you answer a question like that when a person you care about asks? _You shouldn't have to. _

I looked up at him. He still had his head hanging low and was fighting to control his breathing and temper. With a long, deep sigh he finally looked up at me. His eyes widened at the look of horror that I am sure was stuck on my face. "Please tell me." He asked quietly.

I held one more internal debate with myself before deciding to just tell him what he wanted to know. "I-I don't know. I mean, everything bad that has happened over the last couple of years has been because of you, Tom." I paused. "... You killed everyone I have ever loved or cared about." It was blunt, but it was true. Lord Voldemort took every single person I had ever loved or even hated away from me, leaving me alone with only McGonigal and Lupin as my company but lately it has even been hard to look them in the eye. Tears welled up in my eyes again. I missed my family, I missed my friends, and I even missed my enemies. At least they were something familiar to me but even they were dead and gone.

Tom's eyes narrowed, more at himself than at me, before walking slowly over to the couch I was sitting on and sat down slowly next to me as if he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. His hand slowly made his way to my knee and covered my hand. "I am sorry." I managed a small smile and a nod. We lapsed into silence with only the crackling of the fireplace making the deafening quiet bearable. "I-" Tom started but cut off quickly as he began to think over the words he was about to speak again. "I wish I could take it all back for you, Hermione. All of it."

I didn't look at him, I just put my other hand atop his and gave it a light squeeze. "Well you can't." I whispered. With those words I strode away from him and up the stairs. It was too hard to explain these things to him, I could not take it any longer. Demons of my past were coming back to me with full force and my heart did not have enough time to mend it's self yet. Maybe in a few weeks or months I could answer all of his questions without it tugging on my heartstrings but right now I just needed time to heal.

-------------------------------

A knock sounded on my door an hour later. I called for the person to come in and as I expected Tom came in timidly and closed the door behind him. He stood close to the door, ready to leave if I was ready to ask him to but I didn't. Instead I motioned for him to come and join me on the bay window. He sat down across from me, leaning against the opposite sill and looked out over the grounds of Hogwarts along with me. He cleared his throat and it wasn't until that moment I realized he had a plate full of food in his hands. He pushed the white china into my hands. "I thought you might be hungry." He stated simply.

"Thank you." I said back. I really wasn't up to eating but if he went to the trouble then I would at least manage to push the food around a bit.

We remained silent as I 'ate'. I had three bites of the sandwich he brought me before putting the plate on the floor. I pulled my legs up to my chest and rested my chin on them. I felt my eyes drift to Tom whose face was practically glued to the window and away from me. As if he felt my gaze upon him, he turned to face me with a grim expression on his features. More silence came about as we locked eyes and stayed that way. I gazed deeply into his darkening brown eyes and saw all of the regret, sorrow, and fear he felt. Someone once said that our eyes were the windows to our soul. I never quite believed that saying until I looked at Tom that day.

I was sucked out from his eyes when he spoke. "You hate me. Don't you?" Tom asked with a defeated tone to his voice.

I didn't say anything, just stared at him without the ability to formulate a sentence. He breathed out forcefully through his nose and nodded. Tom stood up abruptly and made his way to the door. I watched him go and it hurt my heart to watch.

"Tom!" I called to him right before he walked through my now open door. I ran up and stood facing him, he opted to keep his back to me. I paused to try to figure out the right way to say what I was feeling once again. "I don't hate you." I stated. He spun around to face me. His body was inches from mine and made me fell a little more than nervous. Whether it was in a good or bad way I wasn't able to tell however. "I wish I did." I whispered honestly before looking up into his eyes. "You don't know how much I wish I could hate you..." I trailed off and looked at my feet again. This was hard for me to admit to him and myself. "I wish I wanted to kill you but somehow I know that if I did that then... then I would die right along with you." One more pause. "But I'm cursed." I finished in a whisper.

His fingertips were once again under my chin, bringing it up, and made my eyes meet his. His expression changed to hold a look of understanding along with regret. "How are you cursed?" He said quietly.

I sighed. "I am cursed to love the person who came from who I hate most in this world."

He blinked at me as if he was shocked. "You... love... me?" He asked.

I pursed my lips. "Unfortunately."

His hand went from my chin to my cheek and began to stroke it gently. I was getting used to the feeling of his touch and I loved it. A small, sad smile appeared on Tom's face as he slowly began to dip his head closer to mine. Before I knew it, he had leaned his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. I did the same. "Then I am cursed as well." I opened my eyes and met his. In a second, he closed the gap between our lips and kissed me slowly and gently. From that moment on, I knew I had changed. I promised myself to never love anyone else on this Earth ever again, but with Tom's lips on mine I knew that promise was broken for good. I had somehow fallen in love with Tom Marvolo Riddle and it scared me to death.

**It's kinda short, I know. But oh well. Lol. Thank you for reading! **


	12. Twelve

**Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter, Sillies! **

**So sorry it took me so long to update. I have been on vacation for the past week and haven't been able to write. This chapter is a tad short but I really wanted to get something out to you guys since it's been a while. I hope you enjoy it. **

_It's over now, what have you done now?_

_What have you done?_

_I, I have been waiting for someone like you_

_But now you are slipping away_

I woke up the next morning in a bed that was not my own. I was startled and would have sat up if it wasn't for the curly haired girl who was claiming my chest as her pillow. I tried to relax but it wasn't working too well. Never in my life had I been this close to some one and I was having a few problems adjusting. Trying not to move around too much and risk waking Hermione, I looked around. I was trying to remember what happened last night but it seemed to come to me as a dream and was very fuzzy. I thought for a second more, pushing through my mental block when it finally came to me.

Hermione and I professed our love for each other. It was the strangest and probably most insulting way in the history of the planet that two people did this but it still meant something to both of us. What followed was a lot of kissing, after a few hours Hermione fell asleep in my arms and that is where she remained all night. I smiled to myself and pulled the girl closer to me. In response, she groaned groggily and nuzzled deeper into my chest.

My smile grew and I put the arm that I did not have wrapped around Hermione behind my head. At that very moment, nothing matter and I was completely happy. It didn't matter what I did in the past or what I would do in the future. It didn't matter that this thing with the mudblood could never work-

I did not just think that. I couldn't have. An ice cold settled into the pit of my stomach and realized those were Voldemort's words, not mine. A growl escaped my lips as I mentally snapped at him to shut up. I wasn't letting him get to me anymore. No matter how much energy it took me, I would oppress him. With Hermione around I thought it would be a very manageable task. I laid there for another moment before my stomach decided to rumble loud enough to cause Hermione to stir. Even though I didn't want to, I had to leave and get something to eat. Very gently, I lifted Hermione off of my chest and laid her back onto her large bed. She mumbled something under her breath but remained asleep. I covered her with the blanket and took one last long look at her before quietly exiting the room.

I went down to the little kitchenette and looked for something to eat. There was nothing in the cabinets or refrigerator that I would deem edible. A long sigh escaped my chest as I made the decision to go down to the great hall for breakfast. I hated the idea of doing so. I hadn't gone down there to eat in such a long time, Merlin it most have been months since I last ate there. It was no secret that I preferred to be alone but now that I was going down there I couldn't help but wonder what the other students would think about my sudden presense. But in all honest, who cared? They were irresponsible and moronic children and I should in no way, shape, or form care what they think of me. The great hall loomed in front of me and I finally made it to my destination. I sighed before taking a seat at the far end of the Slytherin table, which was pretty empty except for some sixth years discussing the some class or another. I filled my plate with eggs and toast before digging in. As I ate I could feel eyes digging into the side of my head, threatening to burn a hole through me. Ignoring the feeling was what I would normally do but this new Tom Riddle had to investigate what was going on.

I looked up from my plate to see the sixth year boy closest to my place eying me curiously. "Can I help you with something?" I spat. Catching my own tone, I took a deep breath. Hermione would be furious if I acted in such an insulting, rude manner. I smiled to myself. This girl had changed me so much. Voldemort snarled and the cold feeling settled deeper into my stomach in response.

"Yeah." The brown haired boy said to throw me out of my thoughts. "You're Tom Redford, right? The Head Boy?" He inquired. It took me a moment but I soon recognized my alias as a Redford instead of a Riddle.

I nodded. He did the same. "Then you're stuck up in that tower with Hermione Granger, right?"

My brow furrowed at the sound of Hermione's name. What did she have to do with anything this boy wanted from me? I nodded once more, slowly. The boy chuckled and slid over to the place across from me. He leaned in close as if what he was about to say was of utmost importance along with being top secret. "Listen, that mudblood is on my list. I don't know if you heard of the battle that went on here but it was bad." He narrowed his eyes as he scanned me up and down. "You're a Slytherin. You would have been on the Dark Lord's side... You've heard of him, right?"

I placed my hands under the table and balled them into tight, little fists. "Yes. I've heard of him." I said. "What do you want with Hermione?"

The chuckle appeared once more as he leaned even closer to me over the table. "Well, you see. She and her brat pack- the two boys Voldemort managed to kill before he died- caused a lot of trouble along with defeated the Dark Lord in the end. She is the one who put my father in Azkaban for life. I need to avenge my father and I want your help." He informed me. The fists in my lap balled up even tighter at his words. My anger was threatening to burst out at the mention of causing harm to Hermione. My eyes narrowed into snake-like slits as I watched the boy. He had some nerve to ask this of me.

"And what do you want to do to her?" I hissed. He didn't seem to notice my change in mood and continued to blabber on like an idiot.

"Well," He said. "That's where you come in. I need your help to surprise her, you know? You need do nothing but let me in one night. I will do the rest.. that is unless you would like to help." He said with a smirk.

My anger grew. "And after I let you in?"

He smiled. "Well let's just say I don't think Granger will be coming out of the hospital wing for a while after that." He wiggled his eyebrows before chuckling again. That was the last straw on my nerves and I blew up. Before I knew what was going on I leaped over the table and tackled him to the ground. With all my strength I punched him. No one tried to stop me as I pounded the boy's face into the ground and for that I was thankful . Once I saw a sufficient amount of blood I gave my knuckles a rest and reached for my wand. I pointed it at the boy's face and watched as he squirmed underneath me, trying to escape. I laughed and started to mutter theCruciartus Curse. Light footsteps padded up to me and caused me to stop my attack. Small, delicate hands pulled at my shoulders to make me release the sixth year. Now, I didn't want to let him go. That was the last thing I wanted to do but the hands were like a force acting against what I wanted.

I stood up put kept my wand pointed at the dark haired boy, watching as he coward by my feet. The hands moved from my shoulders to my chest. I finally looked down at Hermione and saw the pleading look in her deep brown eyes. She shook her head, silently asking me to stop my attack. I was still angry but after keeping eye contact with her for a few seconds a managed to calm down. I lowered my wand and sighed. The boy was able to scurry back a foot and stand up shakily. He made a motion that showed he was about to run off like the coward he was but I stopped him by roughly grabbing his arm. He spun around and met my eyes with his own. "You will not touch her. Do I make myself clear?"

He frantically shook his head 'yes' and I nodded. I pushed him away and he fell to the ground, hard. He managed to stand and run back to the Slytherin table. I looked back down at Hermione. Fear and anger filled her eyes. Probably from what I was doing, but I didn't really care at the moment that she was mad at me. What I did to that guy I did for her and she would understand that once we got back to the common room.

"Mr Redford!" A shrill voice pierced through the hall. I shot my gaze up to see McGonigal standing at the entrance of the hall. She wore a look of outrage and had her wand drawn towards me. She looked over at the bloody boy I had just bashed up and pursed her lips together. Her eyes once again came to rest on me. "You two." She pointed at me and then Hermione. "My office. Now."

My eyes went to Hermione who now looked more angry than scared. She glanced at me for a fraction of a second before going off to follow McGonigal out of the room. With reluctance, I followed. It only took us a few short moments to reach the massive gargoyle that guarded the entrance and then enter the Headmistress's office. I wish I had more time to try and feel guilty about what I had done to that kid but I didn't feel bad at all. He deserved what he got. Just like my father.

_Just like my father? _I shook my head to rid the thought from my mind. Voldemort was becoming stronger lately and it is getting hard to resist him. But I had to do it and I would be able to resist.

I sat down next to Hermione and across from McGonigal. Both gave me skeptical looks which I tried to ignore. The one Hermione was shooting at me hurt but still I just let it roll off my shoulder.

"I warned you, Tom." The headmistress said. "You know now that I must notify the Minister and you will be sent to Azkaban until the time in which you can be returned to your time."

My head shot up and I snarled. "He was threatening Herm-Granger. What was I supposed to do?"

McGonigal's head snapped back in surprise. Bloody hell. No one knows about me and Hermione and that was probably how it should have stayed. I felt Hermione tense up next to me in her chair but still she remained quiet like she always does when we are not alone. "You should have reported the threat to a teacher, Tom." She let out a deep breath. "The dementors will be here to collect you in the hour, I suspect."

I fell speechless at her words. I would be leaving Hogwarts? I would be leaving Hermione? I couldn't do that. I had to think of something, anything to make her let me stay but there was nothing. I am going to prison.

_What makes you think we will be going willingly, Tom? _Voldemort questioned.

I thought about it. It would be easy enough to escape here if I just sat back and let Voldemort take the reins. I would be out of England in two minutes and be a free man. It is the most simple and obvious thing in the world. I looked at McGonigal and noticed how stupid she was for leaving me with a wand. Just one flick and-

"Please Professor." Hermione whispered. My plotting stopped and surprise took over me at the sound of her voice in the presence of someone besides me. The headmistress's face held the same look of utter shock that I'm sure was present on my own face. "He has done no harm this year besides what happened today. And this act was only committed to keep me safe. Doesn't that count for something?" She looked down at her lap as she talked, seemingly embarrassed.

McGonigal sputtered a little bit before she could get real words out of her wrinkled mouth. "No, Miss Granger. It does not change anything. In all honesty to you both, I should have turned Tom Riddle in from the very moment he came to us. This is Lord Voldemort that sits next to you, Hermione. He is not a student or a friend." She explained.

Hermione finally looked up at her with a sad expression written all over her face. "That is who he_ could_ have become, Professor. Right now he is Tom Riddle. He is not evil, he's not Voldemort."

"He killed his father and his grandparents. Along with releasing the Basilisk and killing Myrtle. I am sorry but those are evil acts that he did in fact commit already at this time in his life."

Hermione went silent. She couldn't fight those facts. I couldn't either. I did indeed do those things. I'm not proud of it but those deaths are on my head and I should suffer the consequences. Voldemort screamed inside my head in outrage but I blocked him out completely. I knew what I had to do now. I know what Hermione would do in this situation and I would do it too. I just prayed that she would understand in the end.

"Professor," I addressed McGonigal. She tore her eyes from Hermione and laid them on me. "I will except the consequences and go to Azkaban."

Hermione let out a gasp and was about to protest but I stopped her by placing my hand on top of hers. She looked down at it then let our a defeated sigh. She knew she couldn't change this, my mind was set now. McGonigal looked like she had a stroke at the sight out our entwined hands but she did not dwell on it too long.

"If you don't mind my asking, why are you taking this so easily? The Tom Riddle the world knew fifty years ago would never have given into something such as this."

I kept my eyes on Hermione and smiled as I answered the headmistress's question. "Because I am no longer that boy. I am a different person and I accept all punishments for what I have done in the past."

Silence followed. I rubbed small, reassuring circle on Hermione's palm to try to keep her calm, I could tell from the look in her chocolate brown eyes that she was close to tears but was trying with all her might not to let them flow. It broke my heart to see her like this and have to leave her here but I knew I had to, it was the right thing to do. It took Hermione to make me realize that I had to pay the price for my actions.

"I will wait to inform the Minister until tomorrow." McGonigal said quietly. I broke eye contact with Hermione and saw that the old woman was still staring at our laced fingers with a bewildered look on her face.

"Thank you, Professor." I said. She pull her eyes from our hands and brought it up to meet my gaze. Her expression softened for a moment but it quickly went back to being hard and accusing. She nodded once. "But so help me Tom, if you try to escape it will only be worse for you."

"I understand and I will not be going anywhere today." I told her as my eyes found their way back to meet Hermione's awaiting gaze.

Silence for a moment. "Very well, you two are excused."

With those words I stood up and walked toward the door with Hermione in tow. We left the headmistress's office with the knowledge that this could very well be the last day we would be spending together in a very long while, if ever again. It was only yesterday that we confessed our feelings for each other and now we were being ripped apart because of my stupidity and anger, because of my evil nature I will end up breaking Hermione's heart and I hated knowing that fact. But that all would happen tomorrow, we still had today. We had one single solitary day to be happy. And I planned on making the best damn day I could, for Hermione's sake. Merlin knows she deserves it.

**The story's coming to a close guys. I think there will be... um... probably two more chapters and then we are done. =/ I hope you liked the chapter. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave some feedback! **


	13. Thirteen

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is kinda short but oh well it's still a chapter none the less. Lol. I hope you enjoy it!**

_What have you done now?_

_Why, why does Fate make us suffer_

_There's a curse between us_

_Between me and you_

I still wasn't sure exactly what just happened back in Professor McGonigal's office. Either Tom told the headmistress that he would go to Azkaban or I just had a stroke. Something deep in my gut was telling me that it was the first of the two options. I squeezed Tom's hand and side glanced to look at him. His face was hard and serious like he was on a mission. He gave me a look from the corner of his eye and managed a small smile but still, he did not say anything. At that moment I realized the extent of what he had just done and became shockingly terrified. Tom was going to be sent to Azkaban and there was nothing I could do to stop it. We continued to walk down hall after hall until we made it back to our common room. Tom opened the door for me and I stepped in. Not even waiting to hear the door slam shut behind us, I started yelling at him.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you!? Do you want to go to jail for the rest of your life!?"

"Hermione-" He tried to sooth me but I kept going.

"Do you have any idea what this means, Tom? Do you? They could kill you if they wanted to! The dementors could preform the kiss and there would be no one around who could stop them or who would even want to! Do you have any idea what you have just done!?" I rambled on. Out of breath, I stopped and stared at him. He looked at me with no fight in his eyes, totally defeated. He ran his fingers through his brown hair and sighed.

"Hermione I-" He came forward to put his hands on my shoulders but I put my hands up to keep him away from me. He looked hurt but I was feeling too much pity for myself to care. I took a deep breath and thought over what his going to Azkaban would mean. It would mean that there was a good possibility I would never see him again. It would mean that he would be subjected to more evil in there than he would if he was with me. It would mean that I would be alone again and I wasn't sure I could go through that, not this time.

"What have you done now, Tom?" I questioned in a whisper. His mouth dropped open and he came to wrap me in a hug again. This time I allowed him to, not knowing when we would be able to hold each other again after today. I began to sob into his chest as he stroked my hair and whispered that everything would be alright. I shook my head. "It won't be." I told him. He pulled me away from his so he could see my face. "It won't be okay when I'm alone again and you'll surrounded by Death Eaters. It can not be okay, don't you see that?"

He pursed his lips and shook his head 'no'. "All I see right now is you Hermione and right now everything is okay because we are together." He sighed. "I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, all I know is we have today and we have to make the best of it."

I bit down on my lower lip and tried to wrap what he just said around my mind. He was right, I knew that but I wished that it was not true, what he was saying. Admitting that we were losing each other was like admitting that I that every day I lived was simply one day closer to dying. Depressing, but true.

Tom embraced me once again, pulling me close to him and rubbing his hands soothingly up and down my back. I leaned my forehead onto his chest and just breathed slowly. In. Out. In. Out.

Moments passed before we moved. "What would you like to do today? The world is our play ground today." Tom said followed by a pause and a very uncharacteristic smirk. "Well, technically the Hogwarts grounds are our playground." He chuckled at his own joke.

I scuffed at him. "I think I'm starting to miss the old Tom, at least he didn't joke about things that weren't funny." I muttered under my breath.

Tom frowned. "Hey, don't be like that. Can you just be happy? Please? If not for you, at least for me?"

I looked up into his smoldering brown eyes and gave into his request. Letting every little horrible thing that was going on just leave me with a bit of peace for a while, I smiled at Tom and went over to grab his hand. I entwined my fingers with his. "Let's stay in. There's something I want you to try."

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We sat cuddled up on the floor by the fire hours later. A large, red blanket was laid out on the floor with us on top. A few multicolored throw pillows were stacked up to support our backs as we sat. I grabbed another marshmallow from the half empty plate in front of me and placed the white piece of sugary fluff onto a long skewer. Putting the marshmallow into the fire, I began to laugh again.

"I still cannot believe you have never had a smore." I shook my head at Tom as he chewed carefully on the last bit of his third treat.

"I don't usually eat things with strange, unnatural textures or fattening sugars. They are unhealthy for you."

I laughed again. "Tom Riddle, the health nut? Who would have known?" I laughed again. "Well you lived on the edge a bit Tom and I think it payed off in this case." I laughed, Tom would never admit it but he was in love with smores, at least that's what I thought. I eyed the spot on his lips were a piece of the gooey marshmallow was stuck. One side of my mouth pulled up into a smile and I reached up to wipe away what remained of his smore. His hand reached out and kept the hand I had on him in place. I was automatically sucked into his deep gaze and I stayed there. He had kind eyes, I saw that now and I loved it. Keeping eye contact, I leaned in, about ready to kiss him when his eyes flickered to the fire.

"Hermione?" He nodded in the direction of the fire place. I looked when he indicated and saw that the marshmallow had been in the fire the entire time and now it was completely black and covered in flames. Feeling like an idiot, I scrambled to get the black, charred fluff out of the fire. I tried to blow it out a few times but the air would only feed the flame more. Tom laughed, grabbed the skewer from my hand, and blew the fire ball out like it was the easiest thing in the world. He wrinkled his nose at the gooey blob, picked it off the tip of the skewer, and placed it on the plate. Grabbing a napkin, he said "Promise me while I'm gone that you will not eat this junk."

I pursed my lips and looked up into his eyes again. "I promise." I whispered. Tom sighed sadly and the next thing I knew his lips were on mine. These kisses were not gentle and sweet like they were the night before but rather passionate and urgent. One of his hands went to the back of my neck, pressing my face closer to his while the other explored the length of my back. Returning the same, desperate kisses I wrapped both arms around his neck and ran my hands through his hair. One hand found a fistful of hair and grabbed hold of it. Tom sighed into my lips and he pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him.

I gasped slightly at the very sudden action that seemed so unlike Tom but I didn't complain one bit. We kissed until the urgency had gone and all that was left was sweet tenderness. When our lips finally parted both of us were completely out of breath. I leaned my forehead down to rest against his and giggled slightly. Tom put his hands on either side of my face as he took deep, gasping breaths. I smiled.

"I don't deserve you." He finally whispered.

"That's too bad because you are stuck with me."

One corner of Tom's mouth curled up and he kissed me softly one more time. I finally climbed off his lap and sat next to him. I let a very large yawn escape my lips as I looked up at the clock on the mantel. My eyes widened at what the numbers read. "It can not be one thirty in the morning, can it?"

Tom furrowed his brow and reluctantly looked up at the giant, ticking clock. He frowned. "I suppose it is."

Panic struck me in the deepest regions of my chest as I realized that the time we had remaining with each other was drifting away from us at a rapid pace. Tom laid down on our makeshift bed on the floor next to me and placed a hand on my lower back. "Love, it's okay." He tried to reassure.

I gazed down at him and just shook my head, not wanting to say anything more on the subject, not tonight, not ever. I looked up at the clock one more time and saw that two more minutes had passed since I last checked. Desperate for Tom's touch to reassure me we still has some time left, I laid down next to him and placed my head atop his chest. He pulled me closer to him with one strong arm and wrapped the other around my waist. Tom began to stroke my hair which made me grasp onto his shirt even more in return.

"You shall be fine without me, Hermione. There is no doubt in my mind." He said quietly into my hair. I shook my head against his chest.

"You're wrong."

"Love, you are so strong. You have gotten through much worse, you will get through this." He told me.

I didn't say anything in response, just burrowed deeper into the warmth of his body next to mine.

My eyes reluctantly began to flutter closed as exhaustion took over my mind. I fought it as hard as I could and it worked for a while, that was until Tom began to stroke my hair again.

"Sleep, it will be alright. Just sleep, my dear Hermione." He whispered into the top of my head. I mumbled something about not being sleepy but I don't even think all of the words made it out of my mouth. I drifted off to sleep, the last thing I heard before the blackness took me was Tom's gentle voice telling me he loved me.

I woke up the next morning on the floor, wrapped up in the large, red blanket. Surprisingly it was very comfortable. I opened my eyes and saw that the fire had long since gone out and the sun was back in the sky. I looked around the pile of blankets, expecting to see Tom but he wasn't there. I was alone. I shot up right so fast that I blacked out for a moment. I had no clue what time it was or whether Tom was still here. Please, let him still be here.

"Tom!?" I cried out.

"I'm right here, love." I whipped my head around to see that he was lounging in a large upholstered chair behind me. He was dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a white oxford, per his usual, and his hair was no longer astray as it had been last night, thanks to my fingers running through it.

I sighed and began to relax into a comfortable numbness that allowed me not to feel the pain that his leaving was causing me. "How much time to we have left?" I asked nonchalantly in a monotone voice.

Tom smiled a small smile down at me. "About five minutes, I think."

I nodded my head solemnly. I wanted to run to him. I wanted to cling to him and plead that we run away, leave all of this behind us and start something fresh and new together but I knew I couldn't do it. If I said those things it would only make it harder on Tom and I couldn't bare that. I wanted this to be as easy for him as possible.

"Hermione, before they come there is something I wish to tell you." He got up and came to kneel next to me on the floor. He took both of my hands in his large ones and captured my gaze. "Thank you." He said sweetly.

I was confused and it showed on my face. I wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to say but tears formed in my eyes anyway, causing my vision of him to go blurry. "Thank me? For what?" I asked in a broken, shaky voice.

"For making me human." He explained. "For helping me realize there is more to life than power. For showing me that good is so much better than the bad side of things." He paused and looked down at our hands. "For loving me despite what I had done to you or what I will do to you in my future. You looked passed the flaws and saw something in me that I didn't see myself until I met you."

"Tom-"

"You changed me for the better, Hermione Granger and I love you."

A choked sob escaped from deep in my chest and more tears rolled down my cheeks and fell off my chin. "I love you too." I managed to say. He leaned in a kissed me. Pouring everything I had in me into it, I kissed him back fiercely. Only a brief second passed before a pounding on the door sounded. Tom pressed his lips hard against mine for a fraction of a second more before pushing me gently away and walking over to the door. He opened the portrait and the Minister of Magic along with at least seven Aurors burst through the opening. With wands pointed at Tom, they surrounded him. Tom didn't even act like he was going to fight but still they looked on at him with fear in their eyes.

"Tom Riddle, you are to come with us and we shall escort you to Azkaban. " One of the Aurors said.

Tom shrugged, indifferent. "Very well, sir. I am ready to leave when you are." The men continued to look at him with skepticism and their wands poised and pointed straight at Tom's heart. The Slytherin just stood there with his arms folded tightly across his chest. Gosh, I wished he would have run.

"Alright, then. Mr. Riddle if you would please." The man motioned for the dark haired boy to walk out of the room and through the portrait. With one fleeting loving look back at me that nearly ripped out what I had left of a heart, Tom left me followed by the rest of the Ministry men.

The portrait swung closed behind them with a light click before the large room fell completely silent. Still numb, I laid back down on the floor and wrapped myself tightly in the blanket, however, I remained with a cold, stinging feeling in my chest. Not knowing what else to do, I sobbed and cried harder than I had ever done before in my life. I was alone again and I had no idea how I was going to be able to go through this kind of pain again.

**One more chapter to go guys! I hope you have enjoyed the story thus far. Thank you for reading!**


	14. Fourteen

**Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter. **

**Okay guys, here is the last chapter of this story. I really hope you find it satisfactory. **

_I will not fall, won't let it go_

_We will be free when this ends_

My holding cell was only a five foot by five foot rock cubical that was also empty, damp and bone chillingly cold. This place was worse than I could have ever imagined it being. Fellow prisoners screamed none stop through the day and late into the night.

"I'm innocent!" Some would scream while others proclaimed that the Dark Lord would one day reward them for all they had done to further his cause. I tried to block it all out. The guards promised me that none would know of my true identity for my own safety. I was thankful for that. Now that my life had changed and Voldemort was not in control of my mind I didn't want to be associated with any of that rubbish.

Being locked up with nothing to do but think had been very mind opening for me. I had time to think on my mistakes whether they were from the past, present, or future. I regretted them all. Killing my father for abandoning my mother and I before I was even born was a cry for attention, for a family. I needed a family and he, my father, my very own flesh and blood, refused to be that for me and I reacted badly, on instinct. He too made mistakes in his life time but it was not for me to decide that he died for them. I knew that now and I loved feeling a sense of regret and guilt for what I had done. Before I came to Hogwarts and met Hermione I had never felt remorse for my actions but now I did and I felt human.

All of these feelings came about because of Hermione. It was the only plausible answer to the sudden change inside of me. Even though I was sitting inside a dank cell in Azkaban, I was good. And I would do my best to remain good for Hermione. All of this-paying the price for my consequences and feeling like a human being instead of pure evil- was for her and because of her. I owed her my life and once I got the chance to I would give my life and soul to her fully. Until the day when my debt to society had been paid, I would wait patiently.

---------------------------------

It has been a year since I was brought here to Azkaban. It has been nine months since the last time Voldemort was inside my head, taunting me. Six months since I decided that I was going to drop my father's name and go by Redford for the rest of my life and three months since the day I had learned to forgive myself for all the evil I had spread through out the world. While in here, I heard my whole story. From what I did in my early years to killing Harry Potter which, in turn, killed me. I hated myself for a long while but Hermione had convinced me that we cannot dwell on our past mistakes but onlyearn from them.

_Hermione. _The name made my heart ache to the point that I became completely numb. I had not seen Hermione Jean Granger in exactly eleven months, twelve days,nine hours, and twenty-seven minutes give or take a few moments. She came to visit me every other day right after my capture until I finally told her not to come to me anymore. It was not because I did not love her or that I did not wish to see her. No, it was none of that. It was for her own safety.

The guard brought her to my cell one sunny after noon all those months ago, all the men from the cells around me whooped and whistled greedily at the sight of her, they always did that and it infuriated me. If I was a lesser man I would lash out in anger but I restrained myself. She smiled at me like she always did when she came to visit. Hermione's curly hair was in a puffy side ponytail and she wore a pink and black sun dress. The way the sun that radiated in from the small window of my cell made her face look exquisite, even in the dim light of the rest of the prison.

"How are you doing?" She asked sweetly.

I smiled and reached my hand through the bars to stroke her cheek. She leaned her face into my touch and smiled wider. "Amazing." I told her.

Hermione chuckled. "Lovely to hear that." She said.

My hand went from her cheek down to lace my fingers with hers. We held hands as we talked about her schooling and how she was to graduate at the top of our class at the end of the year. We talked about Lupin and how he was now dating a witch from Hogsmeade. They seemed to be pretty in love according to Hermione.

"Time is up, miss." The guard called from the end of the hall. Hermione looked over her shoulder at the Auror and nodded grimly.

"I guess I will see you in two days, then?" She asked me.

I smiled, took her hand in my own, and kissed her knuckles. "I will be here." I teased.

She smiled and rolled her eyes at my silly joke. I tried to put some humor into the situation I was in but Hermione still would not laugh at any of my jokes. She found nothing funny about the predicament I was in.

With one last smile, she started walking backwards toward the door. She got distracted for a quarter of a second and wasn't paying attention to her surroundings when it happened.

Hermione got too close to one of the cages and the prisoner- who looked to be a Death Eater around the age of twenty-five-grabbed her by the hair and pulled her toward him.

As soon as she was close enough, he wrapped his arm around her neck and began to squeeze until she started to choke. I was screaming out in fright and fury at the man who had her in his grasp.

"You were Potter's little mudblood girlfriend, weren't you!? You want to join 'em in the afterlife?" He said in a husky, deep breath. Seconds later, the Auror came up to the action and shot a spell at the Death Eater. Hermione fell onto her hands and knees, grabbing her neck, and gasping for breath.

"Hermione!" I cried as I tried to reach out to her. I couldn't get to her, those bars made sure of that but in that restraint I only fought harder to be by her side. Hermione coughed and sputtered as she crawled away from the cell of the Death Eater and towards mine. A team of Aurors rushed onto the scene and into the man's cell. For now, Hermione was safe.

She finally made it over my cell where she sat with her back resting on the bars. I slid down and took her face gently in my hands. "Are you alright?" I asked frantically. She nodded and rubbed at her throat some more. I sighed a breath of relief that she wasn't seriously injured and did my best to wrap my arms around her, to protect her. But as we sat there and let the Aurors calm the riot that was now breaking out from the other Death Eaters in the room who, like the first one, wished harm to come to the friend of the boy who killed their master, I thought how selfish it was to let Hermione keep coming to visit me. She was in danger here and there was nothing I could do to protect her from within this cell.

As soon as the situation was under control, an Auror escorted Hermione out of harm's way. That was the last time I saw her. The last memory I had of Hermione was of her being frightened and scared. I hated that it all happened because of me. Two days passed and the guard came in to tell me that Hermione was here.

"Don't let her in." I told him. The guard gave me a quizzical look.

"Don't let her in, Tom?" He questioned. I just nodded. The guard studied me for a moment longer before deciding that I was serious and then he left me alone. I'm sure Hermione protested and begged them to let her in but they would not do it unless I told them it was okay. The guards wouldn't want something horrible to happen if they granted her entrance against my request.

I sighed and slid down to the cold, rock floor. The guard returned to me a moment later. "She wasn't happy, Redford. The girl told me to tell you that she would be back tomorrow."

"Tell her not to bother." I told him in a monotone voice.

"Why not?" He asked, still curious. Hermione always came to visit me, the guard knew that and couldn't see why I wouldn't want to see her.

I sighed again. "May I please have a a quill, some ink, and a piece of parchment?"

He gave me a skeptical look. "I don't know-"

"Please."

He pursed his lips together and exhaled forcefully through his nose. "Alright."

He left and a moment later reappeared with what I had asked for. "Thank you." I told him. He just nodded.

I started to work writing the letter that I would have someone deliver to Hermione.

_My dearest Hermione,_

_Please do not think that I wish not to see you. It is not that reason why I will not permit your visits, that much I can assure you. The truth is that coming here to Azkaban is not safe you for in the slightest. Your last visit taught me that. _

I sighed, thought over the next part of the letter and started writing once more.

_I was being selfish when I allowed you to come and see me. I know that. You need to be safe, Hermione, for both of our sakes. I cannot live with the thought that you are not protected from danger. I would die if something were to happen to you. Having you come here to a place that is full of men who want nothing more than to harm you will not keep you well so I must stop these visits before something worse should occur. Please know that even though I will not see you, I will always be with you. My heart belongs to you now but I will keep my soul with me. You see, my soul is tainted with the imprint of the wrongs I have done in my life and I do not wish to burden you with such evils as those. But my heart... you gave me a heart in the first place, Hermione and it is rightfully yours. _

_When I get out of here we will start anew. We will leave this all behind us and get a fresh start. When I get out of here you will never be alone again, Hermione. I promise you that right now. Wait for me. I love you. _

_Yours forever,_

_Tom_

I finished writing the letter, folded it up, and handed it to the guard. "When Hermione comes tomorrow, will you give her that for me?"

The guard eyed the piece of parchment before nodding again. He walked away a moment later, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I hated having to do that to Hermione but it was the right thing to do. So in my little cell I would wait until the day I would be free again. Free... I liked the sound of that. Free of Azkaban. Free of Voldemort. Free to be with Hermione. It was truly a time worth waiting for.

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I was released three years later. I got out early due to good behavior if you would believe it. It made me laugh to think they let Lord Voldemort himself out for good behavior. It really was laughable and almost unbelievable. The guard I had given my letter to all those years ago became my friend during the duration of my stay at the prison. He told me that I should thank McGonigal for the early release.

"Minerva McGonigal?" I asked. "For what?"

He gave me a stunned look as if I was supposed to know the answer to that question. "Well, she was the one who spoke on your behalf at the hearing."

I was taken aback. McGonigal? "Why would she do that?" I questioned. The guard just shrugged as he led me to the 'apparation safe' zone.

"I don't know. That old teacher of yours must have liked you, eh Redford?" He said as he nudged me in the ribs. I smiled awkwardly at him, trying to figure out why McGonigal would do such a thing for me.

We made it to the room we were headed to and I saw that another Auror was waiting there. "Well, Redford this is where we part. Crowley, here, will apparate you to the main land and after that it is all up to you. I hope I never see you again, chap." The guard told me with a clap against my back and a small laugh.

I smiled and shook his hand. "Likewise, my friend." With those words, I turned away from the first guard and toward Crowley. He held out his arm for me to grab hold of and I did so. An instant later, I felt myself being sucked into a tube. My bones and lungs felt as if they were being crunched but the strange feelings disappeared as fast as it had appeared. I was a bit nauseous when we came out of the other side of the apparation but a second later it passed.

I closed my eyes, tilted my head up to the sun, and took in a deep breath of free air. It was excellent. Everything seemed so better after being locked up for three years. I smiled to myself and finally opened my eyes.

An audible gasp came from my lungs as a flash of brown curly hair whipping in the wind caught the corner of my eye. I took a deep, calming breath before turning around and seeing her.

Hermione stood before me on the dock. A vision in a red wrap sun dress with black heels. She had changed so much in the last three years. She had gained some weight and no longer looked like a walking skeleton, she looked healthy and I loved that. Her face was sun kissed as if she had been spending more time in the sun and less time in the library. But through all these changes there was one thing that shone through above everything else: Hermione looked happy, completely and totally one hundred percent happy.

I was hoping that the joy on her face sprung from seeing me.

I smiled at her and the next thing I knew she was running toward me at full speed. A second later, she flung her arms around me and she was once again in my arms. Merlin, how I missed that. I couldn't help but smile wider, pick her up off her feet, and spin her around.

Hermione laughed and pulled her head out from the crook between my shoulders and my neck to look at me. Our eyes met. I set her gently on her feet and placed my hands on either side of her face. Her skin was smooth under my finger tips. Hermione was really real. She was here... she was here for me.

With that, I dipped my head down and crushed my lips to hers. All of the passion and love I felt for Hermione had only grown in our time apart. I loved her. I loved her with my whole heart. I pressed my lips harder on hers and in response she wrapped her arms around my neck and ran her fingers through my hair. I smiled against her lips and picked her up off the ground again. We kissed until both of us would die of oxygen deprivation if we did not take a breather.

I pulled back and we stared at each other, both of us gasping for air. Hermione smiled. "Hey."

I chuckled and placed a swift kiss on her forehead. "Hello."

Hermione took my hands from her face and entwined her fingers with my own. "Are you ready to go? I think now is a good time to start anew and leave this all behind us." She said, quoting my letter. "Don't you, Tom?"

I sighed contently and kissed her lips softly. "Starting anew sounds perfect, love."

Hermione started to led me away from the ocean, keeping a death grip on my hands as if I would somehow escape if she let go. I smiled down at her. With one swift motion, I pulled her to my chest and wrapped her in yet another embrace. I would never get enough these moments with Hermione but I would most definitely try to gather as many happy memories as I could. "I love you." I whispered into her hair.

"I love you." She replied with the three best words I had ever heard.

I released her and we started walking hand in hand again. With one fleeting look back at the prison of Azkaban, I left Tom Riddle and Voldemort behind me for good. I was starting fresh and new and couldn't do so if I held on to the names that struck such fear and pain into people. I left my old life behind me in that cell. Voldemort could no longer control me, not when I left him behind. He could no longer poison my thoughts and cause harm to those I love. No, his rein over me was over once and for all.

As of today, my name is Tom Redford and I am free.

**I really hope you enjoyed the story. Thank you so much for sticking with it to the end. It's pretty rough so it is always a posibility that I will come back to it and fix it up a bit. Check back on it if you like sometime in the future. **

**Again, thanks for reading and sorry that this story had to come to an end. If you haven't already, check out my other fics! **

**Toodles, readers. =] **


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